Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are those that patients can buy without a doctor’s prescription. These can be purchased over the counter because they treat minor illnesses.

But how do you know if you’re getting the right OTC medicine? Are there guidelines that can help you in choosing the right medicine? As a Pharmacy in Union City, New Jersey, let us share with you these guidelines when you need to buy OTC medicines:

• Read Medicine Label
  Because OTC drugs don’t have doctor’s prescriptions, the medication label gives you the necessary information about the drug. Ensure that you read the medication label. The label contains information, such as the right amount of dosage, the frequency of your intake, and the ingredients. So before taking OTC drugs, always read the label.
• Be Careful of Combined Ingredients
  There are OTC medicines that treat more than one symptom. For instance, there is a medicine that treats fever and cough while another treats cough only. You need to realize that these combined ingredients can affect your health.To be safe, ask a pharmacist about this information.
• Follow Warning on Medicine Labels
  Part of proper Medication Management is to ensure that you adhere to warning labels. If the patient has major health conditions, such as heart problems or diabetes, they need to know if the OTC medicine is safe to take. Some drugs place a specific instruction to not administer the medicine on someone with a particular health condition. These warnings are set to promote better health.
• Talk to the Pharmacist
  Your next best guide in using OTC medications correctly is the pharmacist. If there is information from the medication label that you don’t understand, you can always clarify this with the pharmacist. It is important that you gather this information correctly so that you can take the medicine on time. Consult with the pharmacist also for other relevant information that you might have overlooked.
• Know When Self-diagnosis Is Not Advised
  We do self-diagnosis most of the time. There is nothing wrong with this for as long as you are sure of what you are going feeling. If you have also experienced a similar symptom before and one OTC medication worked, you can also follow that pattern. Yet, avoid self-diagnosis right away when you’re certain that you are no longer aware of your condition.

As a provider of Medical Supplies in New Jersey, we hope the guidelines above help you in making decisions about OTC medicines. Always keep in mind that if you have medicine-related concerns, pharmacists can help shed light on this. At MYERSON PHARMACY, we will be here to assist your medicine needs. If you have inquiries, contact us!

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