Study: Risky to mix cold/flu medications
By Claudia Buck, Sacramento Bee
Got a cold and a headache? If you’re treating them by popping pain killers and downing cough/cold medicines, be careful.
With the cold and flu season under way, too many Americans may be unwittingly overdosing on over-the-counter medications, according to consumer research conducted recently by a team of CSU and UC professors. In five surveys of more than 600 adults, the study found that most were unaware that taking two or more off-the-shelf pain relievers and cold medicines was risky, potentially leading to severe liver disease and other health risks.
The culprit is the “active ingredient” contained in many pain/fever relievers, such as acetaminophen in Tylenol, ibuprofen in Motrin or Advil and naproxen in Aleve.
