Over the Counter Pharmaceuticals

We also carry some of the most commonly used over the counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals that clients might benefit from. OTC pharmaceuticals are drugs that do not require a prescription from your doctor. Like most prescription pharmaceuticals we generally encourage the use of these OTC medications only for short term use and not for the long term.

When used acutely and appropriately OTC pharmaceuticals like Advil, Gravol, Tums, Benadryl etc. can certainly provide some much needed symptomatic relief. With prolonged used of OTC pharmaceuticals one may experience:

• Loss of effectiveness of the medication
• Side effects

OTCs like most prescription pharmaceuticals are generally meant to be used acutely to treat medical problems or symptoms. They are not really designed for long term or regular use. If OTCs are being used daily or frequently it would be highly recommended to speak to an experienced integrative health care practitioner to help determine the source of the problem. In essence if one is relying on the use of an OTC regularly the root cause has probably not been addressed fully.

"It really perplexes me when I come across a client who has been taking Tylenol everyday for years to control their arthritis or Gravol for an extended period of time because they are having problems sleeping."

Peter Lee, Integrative Health Pharmacist
Founder of Balanced Health Integrative Pharmacy