OTC double dosing; consumers see no dangers

Many people buy OTC (over-the-counter) drugs to alleviate many bothersome symptoms of colds, allergies, pain, etc. Even though these drugs provide benefits they can impose a serious or deadly risk if misused.

In a series of studies, consumers included people with and without medical expertise, were asked to read the package labels of OTC drugs and ask to report whether the two contained the same active ingredients and if they recognized the risks of double dosing when using two drugs contained the same active ingredient.

Both groups of consumers; those with and without medical expertise, had correctly determined if the two OTC drug had the same active ingredients, indicating that the information was accessible. However, only consumers with medical expertise used this information to assess the risks of taking two drugs concurrently, indicating they understood its diagnosticity or relevancy.

On other words, those without medical expertise (the typical consumer) who failed to view double dosing as risky had suggested that they may believe that OTC drugs are basically risk free. The authors suggested that due to this "naïve" belief, most consumers are at risk of overdosing on OTC drugs.

"A consumer who takes a cold medicine containing, for instance, acetaminophen, may see nothing wrong with taking an additional medicine that also contains acetaminophen, but in that case, he or she will likely ingest at least 1300 mg of acetaminophen, and if those doses are repeated every 4-6 hours, the consumer will take in at least 5200 mg of acetaminophen per day, well over the limit," write authors Dr. Jessie Catlin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Marketing, California State University, Sacramento, Dr. Connie Peachmann, MS, MBA, PhD, University of California, Irvine, and Dr. Eric Brass, MD, PhD, at UCLA.

The authors suggested that drug manufacturers make active ingredients more accessible on packages using icons. However, when this intervention was tested it was found not to be effective.. The interventions of public service messages or package warnings did show promising results.

"Programs to educate the public on the risks of double-dosing must clearly emphasize that even over-the-counter medications can be dangerous when combined or misused. More broadly, this study suggests that it is vitally important for practitioners and policymakers to address safety issues by first working to understand what is at the root of the consumer's misunderstanding," conclude the authors.

Have you ever tried to understand the labels on the numerous OTC drugs you find in stores, it’s enough to drive anyone into a confused state. The words and phrases like cough and cold, cold and sinus, daytime or nighttime is enough to make anyone go crazy. However, you need to read the labels to know its ingredients, dosage and side effects. So to make the process easier Consumer Reports explain what the OTC labels really mean. You can find the facts behind some common over-the-counter label claims and their advice on how to safe at Consumer Reports; What Over-the-counter drug labels really mean.

Sources;

Merck Manual

Dangerous Double Dosing: How Naive Beliefs Can Contribute to Unintentional Overdose with Over-the-Counter Drugs. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2015; 150310112420004 DOI: 10.1509/jppm.14.061