Dr. Oz Reveals the Top 5 Over-the-Counter Misused Drugs

On The Dr. Oz Show today, the popular heart surgeon revealed, with the help of a pharmacist and people from the studio audience, drugs that have been deemed "safe" by the Food and Drug Administration and can be purchased without a prescription. The top five misused and abused drugs are as follows:

#5 Multi-symptom cold and flu medication. Too often a cold is just that'"a cold. By using multi-symptom medication for colds and flu , unnecessary drugs are put into the body that can cause other problems including drug interactions. Dr. Oz recommends using these products only if you have three of the four symptoms listed on the packages.

#4 Acetaminophen, mostly well known as Tylenol, is an over-the-counter drug that can cause severe and irreparable liver damage if taken in excess. Dr. Oz warns: read the label and do not overuse.

#3 Heartburn medications like Prevacid and Prilosec are among the over-the-counter medications does not mean that they are safe. These drugs are called "proton pump inhibitors" and can become addictive, worse of all is they can cause more problems if they are stopped after becoming addicted. Use them only according to directions, and most certainly, avoid overuse, says Dr. Oz.

#2 Allergy medications are among the drug category known as antihistamines. If necessary to use these drugs, be careful to get the ones that do not cause drowsiness. They will help your allergies but if drowsiness occurs while driving, you can be charged with "drugged driving."

#1 NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). These drugs are mostly used for pain, muscle aches, arthritis and headaches . These are most commonly recognized over-the-counter as aspirin, Excedrin, Aleve, Advil, and Motrin and several other brand names and generics. There are stronger prescription strength variations too.

The good doctor warns the audience to remember to read the directions, be aware of the side-effects and do not overuse these medications . He also advised that if you have any questions, consult your pharmacist, especially if you are taking prescription medications.