What you need to know about over-the-counter medicines

By Maria Endah Hulupi

JAKARTA (JP): There are hundreds of over-the-counter drugs on the market to ease various ailments like colds, coughs, diarrhea and headaches.

The large variety available requires sound knowledge on how to choose, store and use them, as well as about their effects on your general health in the long term.

Although the sale of such drugs has been approved by the Ministry of Health, which means their safety is officially recognized (when used as directed), doctors warn that caution is a must when you decide to take non-prescription drugs.

Dr. Dharmika Jayaningrat, deputy chairman of the emergency unit of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta, says that transient symptoms caused by viruses like colds and coughs are short-lived and will disappear after some time. In this case, the drug serves to shorten the virus' life span.

Thus, the drug is taken only to relieve transient symptoms and help make the patient feel better rather than to cure the actual disease that triggers the symptoms.

But not all symptoms indicate the presence of a disease, though. Frequent sneezing or a running nose may be caused by an allergy to dust or simply the inhaling of cold air.

Some serious illnesses, like high blood pressure or lung disease, show general symptoms such as headache or coughing.

"Patients could ease their headaches or coughs by taking over- the-counter drugs but actually the real disease continues or even worsens," Dharmika says.

Taking combinations of nonprescription drugs to ease different symptoms, like headache and cough, can be dangerous.

"Carefully read the warnings and the contraindications as stated by the pharmaceutical firms to ensure that the combining of these medicines is safe," Dharmika says.

Many pharmaceutical firms produce a single drug to cure different symptoms, like pain killers, anti-allergenics, decongestants and cough medicines.

Pregnant women are advised to be especially prudent in using these medicines. They must read the directions and the dosage, and closely monitor possible side effects. Many over-the-counter drugs do not tell consumers on how long they can consume them for safely.

"It is important to limit the use of these medicines. Monitor the progress. Do the symptoms really disappear after the patient takes the medicine for a certain period of time or do they prevail once the patient stops taking it," Dharmika says.

"If yes, consult your physician for a professional opinion to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment."

Long-term use of these drugs may affect other organs and, worse, people may end up never receiving proper treatment for their health problems because of ignorance.

There is of course a danger in the prolonged use or in an overdose of flu and cough medicines which contain phenylpropanolamine (PPA) as a decongestant.

According to the Director General of Food and Drug Control, Sampurno, PPA is safe if it does not exceed 75 milligrams per day for adults and 37.5 milligrams per day for children between six and 12 years of age.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad Sujudi had earlier warned that PPA interacts adversely with certain substances and should not be prescribed for patients with high blood pressure, a hyperactive thyroid gland, heart disease or patients being medicated with an antidepressant.

Official statistics show that there are 189 brands of flu and cough medicines containing PPA produced by 79 pharmaceutical firms in the country.

Dharmika also says that the health authorities should tell the public that many jamu or herbal medicine brands on the market have never been tested in an official laboratory although many of these are very popular.

"The patient may take jamu but once he feels any side effects, he should stop taking it and report the case to his doctor for monitoring," he says.