I cannot --- or maybe I am not --- willing to believe I am the only person who goes into the drug store to purchase an over-the-counter medication and feels overwhelmed by the choices. Not only am I overwhelmed, but sometimes it is actually scary. I read articles in the paper about how too much of one med can damage my liver, vitamins may hurt absorption of certain medications, aspirin taken with blood thinners can cause me to hemorrhage. Geez, sometimes I think I need to take a pharmacist with me to select my cough medicine. By the way, the pharmacy in the store always seems to be closed when I need to ask my questions.
I found a great informational video on mmLearn.org who has a series of videos about these same issues. A pharmacist who deals mainly with geriatrics provides great information about over-the-counter meds. Last week I asked a friend of mine who had a kidney transplant to watch. He called later to thank me. After seeing the video, he spoke with his physician about an over-the-counter medication that he was taking (that was mentioned in the video). The doctor told him that the medication could indeed damage his kidney and to stop taking it immediately. It's well worth your time to stop and watch this video and then send it to a friend or another family caregiver.
Watch the video to help you sort out your questions about over-the-counter medications.
