6 Medicine Cabinet Basics

Stock these six over-the-counter (OTC) ingredients and you can treat the symptoms of common colds, minor aches, pains, sleeplessness and fever while saving money.

One or more of these basic ingredients are found in most combination cold remedies or combination sleep/pain medications. Reading brand labels will reveal how to use these six ingredients in identical dosing and combinations. This can greatly reduce the cost of home treatment and allow for the elimination of ingredients that are not needed.

Consult with a pharmacist when in doubt about combining these single ingredients. Pharmacists are more fully educated than doctors to offer advice about medications, side effects, contra-indications and dosing. More importantly, pharmacists do not currently charge for sharing their advice.

Acetaminophen
(OTC 500mg)

The medication acetaminophen (Tylenol) is used to relieve pain and reduce fever. Acetaminophen can be taken for up to 3 days for fever or up to 10 days for pain. Daily dosage as indicated on the packaging should never be exceeded. Alcohol should be avoided when taking acetaminophen as the combination can be damaging to the liver.

Ibuprofen
(OTC 200mg)

Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) is used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID). If you take ibuprofen for a long period of time, your doctor may want to check you on a regular basis to make sure this medication is not causing harmful effects. Daily dosage as indicated on the packaging should never be exceeded. An overdose of ibuprofen can cause damage to your stomach or intestines.

Diphenhydramine
(OTC 25mg)

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is an antihistamine used to relieve symptoms of allergy, hay fever and the common cold. It is also used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting and dizziness caused by motion sickness. Diphenhydramine can also be used to help you relax and fall asleep. It can be taken every 4 to 6 hours as needed for relief of allergy-related symptoms. When used to combat insomnia, it is to be taken at bedtime. Take each dose with a full glass of water.

Chlorpheniramine
(OTC 4 mg)

Chlorpheniramine (Clor-Trimeton) is also an antihistamine. It is used to treat sneezing; runny nose; itching, watery eyes; hives; rashes; itching; and other symptoms of allergies and the common cold. Chlorpheniramine may cause dizziness or drowsiness. Take each dose with a full glass of water.

Pseudoephedrine
(OTC 30mg)

Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is used to relieve nasal congestion associated with allergies, hay fever, sinus irritation, and the common cold. It can cause sleeplessness. To help prevent trouble in sleeping, take the last dose of pseudoephedrine for each day a few hours before bedtime.

Unfortunately, Pseudoephedrine is also used as a key ingredient needed for the production of the illicit drug methamphetamine and therefore can only be purchased from the pharmacy counter with presentation of valid photo identification. It does not require a prescription.

Guaifenesin
(OTC 400MG)

Guaifenesin (Mucinex & Robitussin) thins the mucus in the air passages making it easier to cough and clear the airways. It relieves the coughs of colds, bronchitis, and other lung infections. Guaifenesin comes as a tablet or liquid to take by mouth. Drink plenty of fluid while taking this medication, minimum 8 ounces.

Cautions

We did not include aspirin or naproxen (Naprosyn) in our medicine cabinet because they are also NSAIDs. It is extremely dangerous to combine NSAIDs.
Thoroughly reading the product label and following provided instructions is the most important part of taking OTC medicines. Doses should never be exceeded. This is especially true because many OTC medicines are taken without seeing a doctor. All OTC medicine labels have detailed usage and warning information so consumers can properly choose and use the products.

Summary

The six ingredients discussed here can safely be combined with each other. Consult with your pharmacist before introducing additional ingredients.

Special Note

All over-the-counter medications are controlled by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) as are prescription drugs. Generic drugs are exact copies of the corresponding brand-name drug in dosage, safety, strength, how it is taken, quality, performance and intended use. The FDA requires that all drugs be safe and effective. Since generics use the same active ingredients and are shown to work the same way in the body, they have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.

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