Comments on: Neosporin and other OTC drugs to avoid

By: ER Doc

ER Doc — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:52:50 +0000

The WORST bronchospasm I have ever treated was two people who ran out of Primatene. Should have been pulled of the market decades ago.

By: MomTFH

MomTFH — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:13:30 +0000

Don’t forget that tylenol daily use has another risk: liver toxicity. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, acetaminophen is the most common pharmaceutical cause of overdose, and is the leading cause of hepatic failure, leading to liver transplant. It’s especially bad if combined with alcohol.

By: Ed Pullen

Ed Pullen — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:39:48 +0000

I like the Primatene Mist addition. Probably should have made the top 5.

By: Janet ARNPC

Janet ARNPC — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:27:03 +0000

Primatene Mist true horror story: While working in an ER about 12 years ago, a car rolled up and pushed a young woman out the door before speeding off. She had very patiently sprayed the primatene mist into a small bowl, drew it up in a syringe and mainlined it. She thought she would get a great high. What she got was a heart rate nearly 300, complete vasoconstrition below the nipple line with a mesenteric infarct, and likely death or long term problems. After transfer to tertiary care, she went out for a smoke one day and never came back, so who knows what happened long term. That is the extreme. Primatene Mist is likely responsible for alot of asthma deaths and disability/loss of lung function over time. It should have been yanked from the market years ago.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:08:05 +0000

I bet most of you use one or more of these.

Hmmm, I don’t use any of the listed medications. Am I that unusual?

By: Tom Farrell

Tom Farrell — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:13:54 +0000

Great.article. Didn’t realize, as noted in #s 1&2, that neosporin and Vit D can cause bad skin reactions as they never did that to me. But the Afrin-type products: rebound = total occlusion. Awful.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:53:55 +0000

Let me add a few more:

1. Topical optical decongestants: Conjunctivitis medicamentosa, same as the nasal version with Afrin.

2. Topical Bendaryl: Extremely sensitizing as well

3. Primatene Mist: Self-explanatory.

By: Steffan Lozinak

Steffan Lozinak — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:36:46 +0000

I really like your blog a lot. Though I am a firm believer in self medication, at the same time, I feel people should be properly educated on what it is they are doing and why these products work or don’t work. There is too much manipulation in the world today, which makes it hard to know which products are actually beneficial as advertised.

By: DMichalak

DMichalak — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:17:22 +0000

I agree as well. The only other use I have for Afrin is with divers who have trouble clearing their ears at depth. They go through an additional atmosphere of pressure every 33 feet.

By: stargirl65

stargirl65 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:30:02 +0000

I agree overall. The only time I recommend Afrin is for one day use when flying with a severe URI. It is not to be continued unless you continue with symptoms for your return flight. Also the use of the Afrin avoids systemic symptoms from decongestants that can be bothersome. The warning or using only up to 3 days is strongly emphasized.