Over-The-Counter (OTC) Medicament

Over-the-counter medicines are sold for the prevention, treatment, and symptomatic relief or cure of disease, injuries, or other conditions-acute or chronic-which you can identify and treat alone or with professional advice. An OTC product is not permitted to bear claims for serious disease conditions that require the continual attention and supervision of a licensed practitioner. Nonprescription medicines, therefore, are by legal definition safe for use without medical supervision and do not constitute a hazard to health.

Statistically we treat four times as many common health problems ourselves with OTC medications as those ailments we ask our doctors to treat. Statistics show that six out of every ten of the medicines in our homes are OTC medicaments.

The following are the most common ailments for which we treat ourselves with OTC products rather than seek professional service.

• Headaches
• Athlete's Foot
• Lip Problems
• Common Cold
• Chronic Dandruff
• Premenstrual
• Menstrual
• Upset Stomach
• Painful Dry Skin
• Sinus Problems

It is less costly to treat yourself for a minor ailment with an over-the-counter medicament than it is to have a professional prescribe a medicament for you. And just as buying generics over brand names may save money, choosing house brands or nonadvertised OTC products may save money as well. Since the FDA requires OTC producers of a medicament for a certain category to follow a recipe, many cough control products, for example, with a variety of names, may contain exactly the same ingredients. You can check the back of labels for product comparison and if the percentages of the ingredients are the same or very close, you may opt for the less expensive product. Of course, one compound may taste or look better than the other and you have to keep in mind that enforcement of standards is spotty, so you may still wish to choose a brand name over a less well-known manufacturer's product.

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