Do you know what side effects your over-the-counter medication has?

Whilst medication purchased over-the-counter are generally accepted as safe for use, some regulators worldwide are noting that more and more hospital admissions and deaths are being linked to overuse or misuse of over-the-counter drugs.

These drugs are generally seen as safe when used for their intended purpose, but the issue is that they can sometimes “interact negatively” with other drugs, alcohol and any pre-existing conditions the user may have.

It’s also thought that some people are using over-the-counter medications for purposes that they’re not specifically intended for because they can produce some “benefits”. That being said, this can be fraught with dangers.

Lack of risk-knowledge

Users who are pregnant or who have allergies, chronic illnesses or other conditions may find that certain medication isn’t created with their condition in mind, and may cause adverse reactions as a result. This is why it’s incredibly important to read labels for warnings.

Pregnant women usually already receive regular warnings against taking over-the-counter medications without prior approval from a doctor; but some may not think to check if their, say, cough medicine might react badly to the prescribed medicine they already take for heartburn.

Regulatory reports

Previous regulatory reports suggested that about “56,000 emergency room visits per year are related to overdoses of acetaminophen” – i.e. paracetamol.

Of that number, around 458 people die each year from paracetamol overdose.

Paracetamol is an incredibly common painkiller that can be bought for less than 20p in a supermarket. There are around 600 over-the-counter and prescription drugs that contain acetaminophen, including household cold and flu medicines that many of us probably have in our cabinets at home.

Accidental overdoses or problems

In many cases, people suffering from a headache might take a couple of paracetamol as and when the pain flares up, rather than check the recommended dosage for a specified time, or check for interactions with other medications. Without proper monitoring, it’s easy to overdose or mix medications that may produce an adverse reaction.

You could easily end up in intensive care where over-the-counter drugs are inadvertently misused.

The advice is that people need to try to be aware of exactly what medication is being taken, including prescription and over-the-counter remedies. Read the warnings and instructions carefully to ensure you are not doubling up on ingredients that are present in multiple remedies (like taking paracetamol on its own and flu medicine that also contains paracetamol).

If you have any conditions that the label warnings may result in an adverse effect, seek medical advice to see what those effects are and the extent of them, and perhaps suggestions of alternatives that don’t carry the same risks.