Benefits and Risks associated with the use of OTC Drugs
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Benefits:
- O.T.C. drugs are generally safe when used occasionally and correctly by healthy adults.
- Saving consumers time and money.
- O.T.C drugs give many people a sense of self-control over their health and well-being.
- O.T.C.s are convenient, readily available in groceries, pharmacies.
- They are less expensive than going to the doctor and paying for a costly prescription.
- Can boost patients' quality of life
- Anti-inflammatory medicines like Advil and Aleve can also provide comfort for those who cannot
take prescriptions because of other medications they’re taking or due to a previous addiction.
- That’s all to the good if OTC drugs are used appropriately, for an indicated condition in the
proper dosage and for no longer than the recommended time.
Risks associated with the use of OTC Drugs
- According to Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of science and ethics, said, "It is extremely
important that the public realize that just because medicines are available over the counter
does not mean that they are risk-free.
- According to the Cleveland Clinic. Health risks of prolonged use of OTC medications can include
kidney and liver problems, elevated blood pressure, and even “increase the risk of heart attack
or stroke, and cause stomach ulcers or bleeding,”
- Can lead to health problems like memory loss.
- Abusing otc drugs can give users a euphoric “high” or hallucinations and can lead to motion
sickness.
- Can lead to drug addiction which change the brain’s chemistry over time.
- Pain management can be more difficult to achieve
- Those addicted to OTC drugs maybe also develop withdrawal symptoms when they stop using.
Common symptoms of OTC drug withdrawal include:
Confusion
Irritability
Agitation
Anxiety
Mood changes
- Patients may also rely on these medications more than they should.
- Some drugs should not be taken by people with certain health conditions, or be combined with
other drugs — prescribed or over the counter — because of the possibility of adverse
interactions.
Example: Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and its many competitors, is the most
widely used O.T.C., commonly taken to relieve pain or fever. But acetaminophen is also a
frequent ingredient in other often-used O.T.C. products, including many cough, cold and allergy
remedies, and prescribed pain relievers like Percocet and Vicodin. In excessive amounts,
acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage.
- Those with chronic health problems can risk potentially serious adverse reactions.
- Misdiagnosis
- Use of excessive drug dosage
- Prolonged duration of use
- Drug interactions and polypharmacy.
What is Polypharmacy?
According to sciencedirect.com,
- use of multiple medications in a single individual.
- Has been positively associated with increasing age, multiple diseases, and disability.
- The use of multiple medications has been shown to increase nursing home placement, difficulty
with ambulation, admissions to the hospital, and mortality.
- When a person consumes more drugs, drug interactions happen with increased frequency.
These interactions may include the increase or decrease in effectiveness of one drug.
- Some people are unaware of potentially toxic duplications or harmful interactions.
- Drug-related hazards disproportionately faced by older patients are:
1. Falls
2. Depression
3. Confusion
4. Hallucinations
5. Malnutrition.
