#1 Flu and Cold Medication Mistake

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

Cold and flu season has hit early this year, so it’s time for one of the most important warnings of the year. Beware of accidentally overdosing on acetominophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) by taking both the painkiller and an over-the-counter cold and flu remedy that also contains it.

According to doctors and pharmacists, this is the most common–and one of the most dangerous–medication errors people can make, and yet it happens every day.

To help make this clear, I’ve put together a list of common OTC cold and flu remedies that contain either acetominophen or ibuprofen as one of the main ingredients. These include:

Comtrex (325 mg acetominophen)
Nyquil (500 mg acetominophenl)
Dayquil (325 mg acetominophen)
Dristan cold (325 acetominophen)
Nurofen (200 mg ibuprofen)
Contac (500 mg acetominophen)
Alka Seltzer Plus (250 mg acetominophen)

As you can see, acetominophen (Tylenol) or acetominophen is in a lot of combo products. This makes it all too easy to take your regular dose of acetominophen for your headache or aches and pains, then double dose by taking a cold remedy as well.

#1 Flu and Cold Medication Mistake originally appeared on Caring.com.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

LM S.

7:39PM PST on Feb 5, 2012

great important info, thank you for sharing!

send a green star

Frank B.

10:05AM PST on Jan 21, 2012

For my family right now it's important/good. My dad has an immune deficiency and my mother is currently going through chemo. The more we can do to eliminate their contact with these things the better off we are.

Rebeca,
http://buysafemeds.com/

Sheila L.

5:36PM PST on Dec 27, 2011

Try natural remedies -- elderberry syrup is amazing! Gypsy Cold Care Tea works well too!

Sonny H.

9:07AM PST on Dec 19, 2011

Thanks. Hope to get rid of my cough soon.

Helen K.

1:18AM PST on Dec 19, 2011

I have a steam inhaler, and I add a couple of drops of an anti-viral/anti-bacterial essential oil like tea tree oil, lavender, or pine. I don't think the anti-viral effects are enough to destroy the cold virus, but it definitely has succeeded in protecting me from secondary bacterial infections. I used to get bronchitis and sinus infections; now I don't.

Mary D.

9:19PM PST on Dec 16, 2011

I doubt that I'll die from lemon juice and honey in a cup of hot tea several times a day. So, I will continue to self-medicate- I've never heard of anybody OD-ing on that.

Also the AMA has a warning about people getting some brain eating thing from infected neti pots. So boil them clean-a vinegar soaking removes hard water scales that hide nasty things-I know-really, really rinse them out-

Eternal G.

9:34PM PST on Dec 15, 2011

Ta!

Azle B.

10:39AM PST on Dec 13, 2011

Self medication is a serious problem which can result in death. The celebrities who are killed by their medication are examples but not the only ones.

Karen L.

6:41PM PST on Dec 12, 2011

As always, thanks for caring about our health and safety.

Amanda M.

5:01PM PST on Dec 12, 2011

I take a pretty low-key approach to colds. At the first twinge of a burning nose (usually the first symptom), I'm on it with the Neti pot, and I use Luden's pectin lozenges to ease the scratch in my throat (especially that throat tickle that makes you gag like crazy when coughing-VERY embarrassing!). Lemon tea also helps. The most extreme thing I do is a single shot of nasal decongestant spray in each nostril before bed (it's either do without or keep waking up because of the single-nostril breathing irritating my nose AND throat) and the recommended dose of 6-8 hour cough syrup when I'm really desperate.

As much as I'd love to be able to veg out in bed for several days, as a stay-at-home mom whose husband works evenings and weekends, I just don't have that luxury. If I don't keep on top of the housework, the place will look like Katrina hit it, the kids will run amok, and then I'll be REALLY stressed out. So for me, managing my symptoms so I can go about my business takes priority. I actually don't mind colds for that reason (yes, I know that makes me a total weirdo), so unless my voice bails on me (which has happened towards the end of a cold sometimes) I don't worry too much about catching one.