Read the Medicine Label, It's Important

Why Is It Important to Read the Medicine Label?

What Do You Need to Be Sure About If I Take a Medicine?

What's the Best Advice?

Real Ways How the OTC Label Can Help You

The OTC Drug Label

Why Is It Important to Read the Medicine Label?

Safe self-care with medicines starts with reading the label. And the many consumers who say they read the medicine label are starting out the right way when they take their medicines.

Here are two very important reasons to read the label of medicines.

If you have never used the drug before, then it just makes sense to read the label. You need to know:

• Is it right for me?
• How much should I take?
• Are there warnings I need to know about?

Even if you have used the same product before, from time to time the ingredients in the product and the warnings on the label may change. This can happen if a new safety problem is found from new research studies, or if the formula is changed.

What Do You Need to Be Sure About If I Take a Medicine?

You need to be sure:

The drug is the right one for your illness or condition.

How much to take.

Know about any warnings against use.

Know about problems that might begin after you start taking the medicine.

What's the Best Advice?

Each time you use a medicine -

Read the label.

Follow directions.

If you have any questions, ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Real Ways the OTC Drug Label Can Help You

The Drug Facts label lets a consumer compare OTC drugs in the store. Just compare the Drug Facts panels of two drugs side-by-side.

If you know one type of active drug ingredient works best for you, you can easily check this on the Drug Facts Label under Active Ingredient.

If you think you are having a side effect from the drug, checking the label can tell you if it may be related to the drug. If you are worried about this, contact your doctor right away.

If you are allergic to some ingredients, you can easily check the contents of the drug under Inactive (or Other) Ingredients before you buy the product.

If you are already taking a drug, then the OTC label may tell you if there might be a safety problem in taking the OTC drug you are thinking about buying.

If you don't read the label, then you are only guessing at the dose. Always rechecking the dose you should take just makes sense.

The OTC Drug Label

Safe use of nonprescription medicines starts with reading the label. Below is an example of what the new OTC medicine label looks like.

• Active Ingredient. Drug substance in product; amount of active ingredient per unit.
• Uses. Symptoms or diseases the product will treat or prevent.
• Warnings. When not to use the product; conditions that may require advice from a doctor before taking the product; possible interactions or side effects; when to stop taking the product and when to contact a doctor; if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, seek guidance from a health care professional; keep product out of children's reach.
• Inactive Ingredients. Substances such as colors or flavors.
• Purpose. Product action or category (such as antihistamine, antacid, or pain reliever)
• Directions. Specific age categories, how much to take, how to take, and how often and how long to take.
• Other Information. How to store the product properly and required information about certain ingredients (such as the amount of calcium, potassium, or sodium the product contains).

Adopted in part from the Food and Drug Administration.