Over-the-counter pain medicine such as Ibuprofen and acetaminophen may influence how people process information, experience hurt feelings, and react to emotionally evocative images, according to recent studies. Examining these findings and how policymakers should respond, a new article was published on Feb. 6, 2018 in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, a Federation… Continue reading Can Over-The-Counter Pain Meds Influence Thoughts and Emotions?
Category: over-the-counter medicines
Beware of Antacids Containing Aspirin
The next time you reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) product to treat your upset stomach or heartburn, consider whether you should use one of the many antacids that don’t have aspirin. Why? Aspirin-containing medicines to treat heartburn, sour stomach, acid indigestion, or upset stomach can cause stomach or intestinal bleeding, especially in some people, warns… Continue reading Beware of Antacids Containing Aspirin
Could Your OTC Antacid Put You at Risk for Heart Disease, Dementia, and Kidney Failure?
Chronic use of over-the-counter drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) speeds up the aging of blood vessels, according to a paper published early online in May 2016 in Circulation Research, an American Heart Association journal. This accelerated aging in humans could lead to increased cardiovascular disease, vascular dementia, and… Continue reading Could Your OTC Antacid Put You at Risk for Heart Disease, Dementia, and Kidney Failure?
The Latest on Pain Relievers: Answers from the FDA
Here, a Q & A with Sharon Hertz, Deputy Director of FDA’s Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Rheumatology Products, who has been with FDA for 15 years. Dr. Hertz graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, N.Y., and completed her residency in neurology at SUNY Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn. This Q&A reflects the… Continue reading The Latest on Pain Relievers: Answers from the FDA
Why You Should Be Concerned About OTC Painkillers
Next time you reach into the medicine cabinet seeking relief for a headache, backache or arthritis, be aware of important safety information for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. FDA is strengthening an existing warning in prescription drug labels and over-the-counter (OTC) Drug Facts labels to indicate that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase the chance of a… Continue reading Why You Should Be Concerned About OTC Painkillers
Health Food Stores Recommend “Adult Use” OTC Supplements to Teens
Parent and grandparent alert! Fifteen year olds are not only able to buy over-the-counter dietary supplements from a sampling of health food stores across the country, the staff at those stores actually went so far as to recommend certain products, despite labels reading “for adult use only.” A release from North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ)… Continue reading Health Food Stores Recommend “Adult Use” OTC Supplements to Teens
Acetaminophen May Affect Your Emotions
Acetaminophen may do more than treat your headache: it could weaken your emotions, researchers have found. Investigators from The Ohio State University reached that conclusion after conducting two studies. The first involved 82 participants, half of whom took an acute dose of 1000 milligrams of acetaminophen and half who took an identical-looking placebo. They waited… Continue reading Acetaminophen May Affect Your Emotions
Some OTC Drugs Linked to Dementia
Researchers say that taking some commonly used drugs at a higher dose for a longer time carries a significantly increased risk for developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s. The drugs include such familiar remedies as nonprescription diphenhydramine (Benadryl). The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, is the first to show such a link. And it’s the first… Continue reading Some OTC Drugs Linked to Dementia
OTC Meds May Affect Your Driving
Anyone who operates a vehicle of any type—car, bus, train, plane, or boat—needs to know there are over-the-counter medicines that can make you drowsy and can affect your ability to drive and operate machinery safely. Over-the-counter medicines are also known as OTC or nonprescription medicines. All these terms mean the same thing: medicines that you… Continue reading OTC Meds May Affect Your Driving