Know the risks before using an OTC medication

Medilyzer™ assures OTC medication safety by providing consumers with important product information that will drastically reduce the occurrence of adverse health effects.

2) Medicine sold over-the-counter is completely safe and cannot cause any side effects -

False! The four main ingredients in most over-the-counter drugs (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen) can cause serious side effects and can be toxic in large doses.

 
Did You Know?
Hundreds of thousands of Americans end up in hospitals every year because of unintentional OTC drug overdoses or due to OTC drugs interacting with other medications
Non-English speaking individuals and those with low literacy cost the healthcare system more than $50 billion annually in unnecessary doctor visits
Less than 30 years ago, more than 700 of today’s OTC medicines were available only with a prescription

According to studies, about 82% of the U.S. population uses at least one prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, or dietary supplement and 30% use five or more drugs. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of these adults are admitted to the emergency room each year due to adverse drug interactions. Children account for additional emergency visits, with 7,100 occurring because of cough and cold medications alone.

There are a variety of causes for these unnecessary emergencies. Perhaps the OTC product warnings were ignored or misunderstood. Maybe the pharmacist was unavailable for consultation. Possibly a non-English speaking or illiterate consumer was unable to correctly interpret the OTC drug warnings. Although different, these reasons have one thing in common – they can all be avoided. Find out how Medilyzer™ can help.