Survey: Many in US not reading OTC drug labels

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Survey: Many in US not reading OTC drug labels

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters Health) - A survey reveals that Americans are

not paying enough attention to labels on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs

such as pain relievers or cold, flu and sinus medications.

While three in five Americans reported taking an over-the-counter

medication within the past 6 months, 66% of those surveyed could not

identify the active ingredient of their brand of pain reliever. For

example, Advil takers should have answered ibuprofen, while those who

take Tylenol should have known that acetaminophen is the active

ingredient.

What's more, one out of three Americans takes more than the recommended

dose of a nonprescription medication because they incorrectly believe

that doing so will increase the effectiveness, according to the survey

commissioned by the National Council on Patient Information and

Education (NCPIE).

" Over-the-counter drugs are real medicines that must be taken

responsibly, " said Golodner, president of the National Consumers

League and NCPIE's chair. " For this reason, consumers need to read OTC

drug labels, compare ingredients in different products and understand

how to take (them) correctly, " she said in statement issued by NCPIE.

NCPIE, which is located in Bethesda, land, is a not-for-profit

public education group that includes drugmakers, physicians' and nurses'

groups, patient groups and healthcare organizations.

The group has launched a public education campaign on the proper use of

over-the-counter drugs. The new Web site can be found at

www.bemedwise.com.

The education program coincides with the 2002 implementation of new US

Food and Drug Administration rules that require easy-to-read labeling

for the majority of nonprescription drugs. The " Drug Facts " label " will

make it easier to select the most appropriate over-the-counter product

and understand a drug's benefits and risks, " according to the NCPIE.

Indeed, the survey revealed that as few as one in five Americans read

the safety information on a label for OTC medication either when they

buy or take the drug. And only half of those surveyed reported reading

usage information on the label when they take the medication for the

first time.

Consumers may not realize that many over-the-counter medications contain

the same active ingredient. For example, pain relievers and combination

cold and flu remedies often contain the same active ingredients, which

could result in an individual taking a higher-than-recommended dose of

the drug.

The survey also revealed that adults often do not understand the proper

dosing instructions they should follow for children when giving them

nonprescription medication.

" A majority of Americans do not know that the most accurate way to

determine the amount of medicine for a child under the age of 12 is by

weight alone, " the survey reports.

And roughly half of Americans incorrectly say that nonprescription

medications for babies are less concentrated than formulations for older

children. Only one in 10 adults correctly said that nonprescription

medicine formulated for babies is more concentrated than formulas for

older children, according to the survey findings.

In the survey, 1,011 American adults were interviewed by telephone about

OTC drug use, and 451 pharmacists, nurses and physicians about their

concerns regarding OTC drug use by the public.