Guest blog: Cold and flu symptoms? Double-check, don’t double up

With flu season underway, the Know Your Dose campaign educates people about the safe and effective use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in many over-the-counter flu medicines. Today’s guest blog comes from Kathleen Wilson, PhD, ARNP-C, who is active with the campaign, and reminds people to take care when taking flu medicines.

 

Wilson is a board-certified family and pediatric nurse practitioner with 28 years of experience in providing care for patients of all ages. She has held positions in education, practice, research, administration and consultancies with extensive experience in adolescent health, behavioral health, management of children and youth with special needs and community program development. She practices in Tallahassee, Fla.

 

APHA is an organizational partner of the Know Your Dose campaign.

Each year, the most common question my patients ask about cold and flu season is how to avoid getting a cold or flu. Everyone has their favorite remedies and techniques for keeping germs at bay, and frequent hand-washing and use of sanitizer do help. Of course, getting your flu vaccination is important as well. But despite taking precautions to ward off the sniffles, it’s hard to avoid catching a cold or flu. Americans catch an estimated 1 billion colds every year, and roughly 20 percent get the flu.

 

In the coming months, the majority of people will find themselves at the local pharmacy searching for an over-the-counter medicine to relieve their symptoms. One trip down the cold and flu aisle will show you that there are countless medicines available, and what people often don’t realize is how many of their trusted cold and flu medicines contain the most common drug ingredient in America: acetaminophen. It is found in more than 600 over-the-counter and prescription medicines, including pain relievers, fever reducers and sleep aids, as well as many cough and cold medicines.

 

Acetaminophen is safe and effective when used as directed, but taking more than directed is an overdose and can lead to liver damage. So, I remind my patients that it is always important to read and follow the labels to know the ingredients in the medicines they take, particularly if they are taking both an over-the-counter medicine in addition to a prescription medicine containing acetaminophen.

 

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is a founding member of the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition, which formed the Know Your Dose campaign to educate patients about the safe use of acetaminophen. I advise my patients who will be using cold and flu medicines to double-check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on acetaminophen, and follow these four simple safety steps:

1. Know if medicines contain acetaminophen, which is in bold type or highlighted in the “active ingredients” section of over-the-counter medicine labels and sometimes listed as “APAP” or “acetam” on prescription labels.
2. Never take two medicines that contain acetaminophen at the same time.
3. Always read and follow the medicine label.
4. Ask your health care provider or a pharmacist if you have questions about dosing instructions or medicines that contain acetaminophen.

As a nurse practitioner, it is important that I stress these medicine safety tips when discussing cold or flu symptoms with my patients. I spend time with them to both prevent and treat illness, and when medicine is required, I also want to help ensure patients know the proper dosage.