FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Choosing medicine for a cold, flu, and other aches and pains can be overwhelming. <\/p>\n
Why is the drug aisle so confusing? <\/p>\n
Dr. Marvin Lipman, Consumer Reports Medical Adviser said, \"The problem is labels like extra strength, maximum strength, or ultra-strength really have no standard definition.\" <\/p>\n
Take Ultra-Strength Tums. It has 100 percent more of its active ingredient than the regular version. <\/p>\n
But Gas-X Ultra-Strength has 125 percent more of its active ingredient. <\/p>\n
\"The point is you really have to read the label in order to know how much you're taking,\" Lipman said. <\/p>\n
Claims like \"all day\" and \"long acting\" are tricky, too. All-day Aleve lasts up to 12 hours. But this all-day medicine lasts 24 hours. With drugs that promise to relieve multiple symptoms, like a cold, flu, and sore throat, you could end up taking something you don't need. <\/p>\n
\"Drugs that treat multiple symptoms often have more than one ingredient, sometimes many,\" lipman said. <\/p>\n
So if you take another medicine that contains one of those ingredients, you might wind up taking too much. <\/p>\n
Consumer reports says best is choosing a single ingredient drug whenever you can, like ibuprofen for aches and pains or acetaminophen for a fever or headache. <\/p>\n
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Link: <\/p>\n
Flu season, cold medicine and confusing labels<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Choosing medicine for a cold, flu, and other aches and pains can be overwhelming. Why is the drug aisle so confusing Continue reading