A patient asks a primary care nurse practitioner (NP) about using over-the-counter medications to treat an upper respiratory infection with symptoms of cough, fever, and nasal congestion. The NP should:
a. recommend a cough preparation that also contains acetaminophen.
b. suggest using single-ingredient products to treat each symptom separately.
c. recommend a product containing antitussive, antipyretic, and decongestant ingredients.
d. tell the patient that over-the-counter medications are usually not effective in manufacturer-recommended doses.
B
A basic principle guiding over-the-counter use is to look at specific symptoms and treat each separately because some products contain therapeutic doses of one ingredient and subtherapeutic doses of others. Cough preparations containing acetaminophen often do not contain therapeutic doses, and patients often overdose when they supplement with acetaminophen. Over-the-counter medications are effective at recommended doses. Patients should follow dosing recommendations on the package.
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