Over the Counter

I have written in the past about over the counter medications that are useful to have in your home medicine cabinet. The names of those medications rarely change. However, their availability is often affected by factors beyond our control.

As we look at whether the current tariff plan will have any impact on medication supply lines, it makes sense to see if over the counter medications will be affected. If that is the case, it would make sense to get them now. Many of them keep for several years. So a purchase now would be enough to last for a while.

Some over the counter medications are imported from China and are also made in the United States. If, however,  the United States suppliers suddenly have to produce an increased amount, there could be temporary shortages.

It would, therefore, make sense to look in our medicine cabinets for two reasons. The first is to see what we may be missing. The second is to see what may be expiring soon. That is especially true for medications that we rarely use. 

There are some particular medications that are more likely to be affected than others. That is because of the amount we currently import from China.

Ibuprofen (Motrin) is an over the counter pain relief medication. It can also be used for inflammation. This is one medication is is worth checking for in our medicine cabinet..

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a fever and pain medication. It is safer than things like Ibuprofen because it is less likely to cause intestinal bleeding when used for an extended period. This is a second medication to update.

Cold and cough medications are also ones that could face a supply issue. That may actually be good news. Most of these preparations are a mix of medications that may or may not be useful.

They may contain antihistamines that are not effective for colds. They may contain low dose acetaminophen which is not enough to be beneficial.

Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is the oral preferred medication for colds.  It is no longer sold on pharmacy shelves but can be purchased over the counter at the pharmacy window. Afrin is an effective inhaled cold medication but can only be used for a maximum of six doses per cold. More than that can create a localized physiologic dependence on it for the nose to stay clear.

Dextromethorphan (DM) is the best cough medication. These are the only three cold and cough preparations in my medicine cabinet.

At this point in time, updating your supply of ibuprofen, acetaminophen, Sudafed, dextromethorphan and Afrin is a logical move. Even if they are not affected at all by tariffs, you should have a fresh supply in your medicine cabinet anyway.