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Top OTC Products

Drugstore shelves are filled with over-the-counter medications. Non-prescription drugs are a huge part of the pharmaceutical industry's business. In 2009, over-the-counter (OTC) products brought in $15.8 billion in revenues for Johnson & Johnson and $6.8 billion for pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. OTC products let Americans easily treat conditions such as colds, flu, headaches, fevers, coughs, allergies and minor skin infections.

  1. Headache Medication

    • A 2010 report by the American Pharmacists Association (APA) surveyed member pharmacists for their opinions on over-the-counter medications in 76 categories. Of those, Tylenol is the #1 choice for headaches. Pharmacists felt that it has the right combination of being safe in most adults and with minimum chances of stomach upset--unlike a number of others including the ibuprofen-based medications.

      However, people with liver problems should not take Tylenol. For them, Advil and Motrin came in as the next best-rated products.

    Allergy Relief

    • While there's no shortage of allergy relief anti-histamine products, the American Pharmacists Association chose Claritin as its top choice in 2010. Claritin does a good job of blocking the chemicals, which cause a large variety of seasonal allergies, while remaining safe and not causing drowsiness.

    Stomach Acid

    • For heartburn and small stomach ulcers, pharmacists recommend using Prilosec OTC, a proton-pump inhibitor, to stop stomach acid from excreting out the stomach walls. This differs significantly from other heartburn and indigestion medications which seek to neutralize stomach acid after it has been excreted or to block the production of histamine II, which triggers digestive juice production.

    Decongestant

    • In the decongestant category, the APA chose Sudafed, with 70 percent of member pharmacists supporting it as the most effective choice. However, one thing for consumers to note is that Sudafed only treats symptoms, not the underlying illness or allergy that may be causing stuffiness.

      Also, Sudafed has stimulant properties and people who are sensitive can have trouble sleeping or face hyperactivity. Sudafed has also become an abused pharmaceutical for those wanting the stimulant effects and because it is used as an ingredient in methamphetamine.

    Drug Strength

    • Many OTC medications including Claritin and Prilosec were previously available only by prescription and still come in stronger prescription doses. Their OTC incarnations are milder forms of the prescription product.

    Warning

    • Before using any OTC medication, be sure to consult your physician or a licensed pharmacist. Let the professionals advise you based on your personal health history. They can also check for and advise against any potential drug interactions.

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