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Doctors Advise Reading Medication Labels Carefully
Posted: Jan 24, 2013 6:10 PM by Jessica Holley - jholley@kristv.com
Updated: Jan 24, 2013 6:34 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - Doctors are concerned about medication overdoses as people treat their flu symptoms at home.
The flu and colds have more people in pharmacies lately picking up medication to help relieve some of the aches and pains. But the Texas Poison Center Network is hearing from many more people who accidentally double up on over-the-counter medications, especially acetaminophen and antihistamine.
"Tends to be more calls during the time of the year when people have more colds, tends to be during the winter time," says Dr. Miguel Fernandez, South Texas Poison Center.
Last month alone, the statewide network received 338 of calls for over medicating on over-the-counter medications, the most since December 2007.
While many people rush to the ER when they've overdosed on medication Dr. Fernandez says actually the right thing to do is to call the Poison Control Center and it even says so on the box."
"We actually save people a lot of time, money, and bother, by handling many issues over the phone," says Dr. Fernandez.
Pharmacist Bill Defratus says he works with his customer to make sure they are taking the correct dosage.
"We try to use more open ended questions as opposed to do you know how to take this , we ask them how are you going to take this?" says Defratus of Moore's Pharmacy.
One way the over medicating happens is when some takes a multi-symptom medication then takes acetaminophen for a fever.
"You've always have a certainly mentality one is good two is better, but by in large most people take things like they are supposed to," says Defratus.
Pharmacists and doctors say people should always read the labels and not to mix and match products, especially multi-symptom pain relievers.
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