Cough Medicines

Decongestants

Antihistamines

Pain Relievers

OTC drugs

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.

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 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, 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 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 corld.

Antihistamines word by blocking the receptors that trigger itching, nasal irritation, sneezing, and mucus production. The three types of antihistamines are:

- 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

Decongestants work by narrowing blood vessels in the lining of the nose. As a result, less blood is able to flow through the nasal area, and swollen tissue inside the nose shrinks. Pseudoephedrine in the only decongestant used in OTC products. Pseudoephedrine is in products such as Allermed, Genaphed and Sudafed.

Cough medicines are grouped into two types: antitussives and expectorants. Antitussives, or cough suppressants, block the cough reflex. Dextromethorphan is a common antitussive and is in products such as Delsym, Drixoral, Pertussin CS, and Robitussin Pediatric.

Expectorants, on the other hand, are thought to thin mucus and make coughing more productive in clearing the mucus from the airway. Guaifenesin is the only expectorant used in OTC products and is in products such as Guiatuss, Robitussin, and Tusibron.

Дата добавления: 2015-01-03