Cold and flu season is nothing to sneeze at. It's easy to reach for a one-size-fits-all remedy, but is that always best? Now, with flu fears on the rise, here's how to stay safe when you're feeling under the weather.
Alexis Fabricant is no stranger to sore throats and stuffy noses.
"I definitely come down with a cold at least once a year, sometimes twice a year," said Fabricant.
But when she hits the drugstore for over-the-counter relief, the choices are enough to make her dizzy, everything from pills to syrups to spray. Some have just one active ingredient, some with more than three.
"I end up usually picking too many, or spending too much money, or just spending 20 minutes in the aisles," said Fabricant.
She's not the only one. Steven Pray is an expert on non-prescription products. He says it's common for pharmacists to see confused shoppers during cold and flu season, but especially this year.
"This year will be unique because of the regular flu, but then the great scare about swine flu," said Steven Pray, PhD, expert in nonprescription products. "People are going to be grabbing everything they can grab."
He says many shoppers simply reach for a multi-symptom pack, but those three or four ingredients listed are not always needed.
Pharmacist Jan Engle with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy says confused shoppers may also be overmedicating.
"You may take a product that's multi-symptom for colds and then also take another product, say, for headaches, and both products contain acetaminophen, as an example," said Engle.
Patients also risk overmedication by taking more than the recommended dose.
"Over the counter medicines are powerful, but they're only safe when taken as directed," said Engle.
So read all labels thoroughly. Also, only buy a multi-symptom medication if you truly have all of the symptoms listed on the box. Otherwise, our experts recommend buying medications individually based on your ailments.
Overdosing on cold and flu products can have serious side effects, like increased drowsiness, high blood pressure, mental confusion, even liver damage.
