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OTC is short for over-the-counter. These are medicines you can buy without a prescription from your doctor. Chances are, you've used OTC medicines many times to relieve pain and treat symptoms of the common cold, the flu, and allergies. In this section, you'll learn about four of the most common types of OTC products and how each works.

Pain Relievers
The OTC products that relieve your headache, fever, or muscle aches are not all the same. That's because the pain relievers you see in the aisles of your local drug store or pharmacy are either nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (called NSAIDs), which include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen, or acetaminophen. Each of these drugs has a different way of working:

Aspirin and NSAIDs relieve pain by stopping the production of prostaglandins, which are natural chemicals in the body. Prostaglandins irritate nerve endings, triggering the sensation of pain. Commonly used NSAIDs include:

• Aspirin, the medicine in products such as Bayer and St. Joseph
• Ibuprofen, the medicine in products such as Advil and Motrin IB
• Naproxen, the medicine in products such as Aleve
• Ketoprofen, the medicine in products such as Orudis KT
• Acetaminophen relieves pain and reduces fever. We don't completely understand the way acetaminophen relieves pain. We do know that unlike aspirin and NSAIDs, which work in the skin, muscles, and joints, acetaminophen blocks painful sensation in the brain and the spinal cord.

Acetaminophen is in products such as Tylenol and Tempra.

NONPRESCRIPTION PRODUCTS CONTAINING ACETAMINOPHEN

• Actifed®: Cold & Allergy, Sinus
• Alka-Seltzer Plus®: All Products
• Anacin®: Aspirin Free Formula
• Benadryl®: Allergy Sinus Headache; Severe Allergy & Sinus Headache
• Comtrex®: All Products
• Contac®: Severe Cold and Flu Maximum Strength Caplets, Non-Drowsy Caplets, Day & Night Cold & Flu
• Coricidin®: D Cold, Flu & Sinus Tablets, HBP Cold & Flu Tablets
• Dimetapp®: Non-Drowsy Flu Syrup
• Dristan®: Cold Multi-Symptom Formula
• Drixoral®: Allergy Sinus, Cold & Flu Excedrin®: All Products
• Feverall®: Suppositories
• Goody’s® Powders: All Products
• Midol®: Maximum Strength Menstrual Formula, Maximum Strength PMS Formula
• NyQuil®/DayQuil®: Cold/Flu Relief Liquid and LiquiCaps
• Pamprin®: All Products
• Percogesic®: All Products
• Robitussin: Cold, Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu, Multi-Symptom Honey Flu Liquid, Nighttime Honey Flu Liquid
• Singlet®: Tablets
• Sinutab® Sinus: Sinus Allergy Medication Maximum Strength Formula
• Sudafed®: Cold & Cough Liquid Caps, Cold & Sinus Liquid Caps, Severe Cold Caplets and Tablets, Sinus Caplets and Tablets
• Tavist®: Sinus Non-Drowsy Coated Caplets
• TheraFlu®: All Regular and Maximum Strength Caplets and Hot Liquid
• Triaminic®: Cold, Cough & Fever Liquid, Cough & Sore Throat Liquid, Cough & Sore Throat Softchews
• Tylenol®: Allergy Sinus Formula, Severe Allergy; Arthritis Pain Extended Relief; Cold Formula, Cold & Flu; Extra Strength Pain Reliever; Flu Formula; Maximum Strength Sore Throat Adult Liquid; PM Pain Reliever/Sleep Aid; Regular Strength; Sinus; Women’s Tylenol
• Vanquish®: Caplets
• Vicks®: Vicks 44M Cough, Cold & Flu Relief Liquid and Liquicaps
  

• Advil®: Cold and Sinus Caplets and Tablets; Ibuprofen Tablets, Caplets, and Gel Caplets; Flu and Body Ache Caplets; Migraine Liquigels
• Aleve®: Tablets, Caplets, and Gelcaps; Cold and Sinus Caplets
• Alka-Seltzer®: Original, Extra Strength, Cherry, and Lemon/Lime Effervescent Antacid and Pain Reliever; Alka-Seltzer PM
• Anacin®: Regular Strength, Extra Strength Tablets
• Bayer®: Genuine Aspirin Tablets & Caplets, Extra Strength Plus Aspirin Caplets, Extra Strength PM Aspirin Plus Sleep Aid, Extra Strength Arthritis Pain Regimen Formula, Extra Strength Aspirin Caplets & Tablets, VANQUISH Caplets
• BC®: Arthritis Strength Powder, Allergy Sinus Cold Powder, BC Powder, Sinus Cold Powder
• Bufferin®: All Products
• Dristan®: Sinus Pain Formula
• Ecotrin®: Enteric Coated Aspirin Regular Strength, Enteric Coated Aspirin Maximum Strength
• Excedrin®: Extra Strength Migraine Caplets, Geltabs, Tablets; Migraine Tablets
• Goody's®: Body Pain Formula Powder; Extra Strength Headache Powder; Extra Strength Pain Relief Tablets
• Halfprin®: Tablets
• Midol®: Maximum Strength Cramp Formula Tablets
• Motrin®: IB Caplets, Tablets, and Gelcaps; IB Pain Reliever/Fever Reducer Tablets, Caplets, and Gelcaps; Migraine Pain Caplets; Sinus/Headache Caplets
• Orudis®: KT Tablets
  

• Diphenhydramine, the medicine in products such as Banophen, Benadryl Allergy, and Diphenhist
• Brompheniramine, the medicine in products such as Dimetapp Allergy
• Chlorpheniramine, the medicine in products such as Aller-Chlor, Chlo-Amine and Chlor-Trimeton Allergy

• Stay home and rest, especially while you have a fever.
• Don’t smoke and avoid secondhand smoke.
• Drink plenty of fluids like water, fruit juices and clear soups.
• Don’t drink alcohol.
• Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a sore throat. Throat sprays or lozenges may also help relieve the pain.
• Use salt water (saline) nose drops to help loosen mucus and moisten the tender skin in your nose.
• Many cold medicines are available over-the-counter (without a prescription from your doctor). If you decide to use an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat your cold symptoms, consult the chart below.

1 Fatigue, mild sore throat Acetaminophen (some brand names: Panadol, Tempra, Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ibuprofen [some brand names: Advil, Menadol, Motrin])

2 Runny nose Antihistamine (diphenhydramine [some brand names: Benadryl Allergy, Banophen, Diphenhist], chlorpheniramine [some brand names: Aller-Chlor, Chlo-Amine, Chlor-Trimeton Allergy])

3 “Stopped up” nose Decongestant (pseudoephedrine [some brand names: Allermed, Genaphed, Sudafed])

4 Dry cough Antitussive (dextromethorphan [some brand names: Drixoral, Pertussin CS, Robitussin Pediatric])

5&6 Moist, productive cough Expectorant (guiafenesin [some brand names: Guiatuss, Robitussin, Tusibron])

7. Voice “breaks” or disappears altogether No medicine will help your voice come back sooner. Resting it is the only thing that will help.

Active Ingredient -- The active ingredient is the chemical compound in the medicine that works to relieve your symptoms. It is always the first item on the label. There may be more than one active ingredient in a product. The label will clearly show this.
Uses -- This section lists the symptoms the medicine is meant to treat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must approve these uses. Uses are sometimes referred to as indications.
Warnings -- This safety information will tell you what other medicines, foods, or situations (such as driving) to avoid while taking this medicine.
Directions -- Information about how much medicine you should take and how often you should take it will be listed here.
Other Information -- Any other important information, such as how to store the product, will be listed here.

Inactive Ingredients -- An inactive ingredient is a chemical compound in the medicine that isn't meant to treat a symptom. Inactive ingredients can include preservatives, binding agents, and food coloring. This section is especially important for people who know they have allergies to food coloring or other chemicals.
Questions or Comments -- A toll-free number is provided to address any questions or comments you may have about the medicine.

More information about special groups such as these is listed below.

Aspirin and NSAIDs
The main side effect associated with aspirin and other NSAIDs is gastrointestinal (GI) problems. These problems can range from upset stomach to GI bleeding, a serious event that is more likely to occur in older people. The chances of experiencing GI problems from NSAIDs or aspirin increase the larger the dose you take and the longer you take them.

NSAIDs can cause a variety of side effects related to kidney function. These side effects range from reversible inflammation to permanent kidney damage.

Aspirin and NSAIDs may make high blood pressure worse or interfere with blood pressure medicines.

High doses of aspirin pose a risk of liver damage for people who have liver disease, juvenile arthritis, or rheumatic fever.

Acetaminophen
Although safe in the majority of users, long-term use of high doses of acetaminophen, especially in products that also contain caffeine (such as Excedrin) or codeine (such as Tylenol with Codeine), has been shown to cause a form of kidney disease called analgesic nephropathy. This serious condition may develop after years or decades of daily use.

Antihistamines
Antihistamines can cause sedation or drowsiness and, therefore, can significantly impair a person's ability to drive or operate machinery. The sedative effects of antihistamines may increase the risk of falling. Antihistamines can also cause temporary dry mouth or eyes.

Decongestants
Pseudoephedrine can temporarily cause nervousness, dizziness and sleeplessness. It can make you lose your appetite or retain urine. It can also cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar levels.

Cough Medicines
Codeine, when used as a cough suppressant, can temporarily cause nausea, sedation and constipation. Dextromethorphan, the medicine in Drixoral, Pertussin CS and Robitussin, has a lower risk of sedation and GI side effects. It can, however, cause feelings of confusion, agitation, nervousness, or irritability.

Drug-Drug Interactions
The body processes -- or metabolizes -- every drug differently. If drugs are used together, their metabolism and effect on the body can change. When this happens, the chance that you will have side effects for each drug may become greater.