Precautions When Taking Cold Medicine... Check Ingredients and Maximum Dosage

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 29th, when taking cold medicine, there are ingredients that require caution for children or the elderly, as well as ingredients that should be avoided in large amounts or for long periods, so it is advisable to consult a doctor or pharmacist before taking them.

A cold is an acute inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract such as the nose, throat, and bronchi, accompanied by symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing, fever, or sore throat.

In winter, body temperature becomes unbalanced due to the cold, and indoor activities increase, raising the chances of person-to-person infection, causing a rapid increase in patients.

Prevention of colds is important, and to do so, it is good to wash hands frequently and wear several layers of thin clothing to adjust to the temperature by putting on or taking off clothes accordingly.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s Health Care Big Data Open System, about 4 million people had colds last December, and by age group, the incidence rate of patients under 10 years old with weak immunity was the highest at 28%.

Caution is needed when taking cold medicine. Medications containing the representative antipyretic analgesic ingredient ‘acetaminophen’ should not be administered to children under 12 years old if they are extended-release formulations (medicines specially made to release the ingredient slowly), and care should be taken not to exceed the maximum daily dose (4000mg).

The ingredient ‘chlorpheniramine’ in runny nose medicine causes drowsiness and decreased concentration, and especially in the elderly, these side effects may occur more frequently, so caution is required.

For the cough medicine ingredient ‘dextromethorphan,’ if a patient with depression or Parkinson’s disease needs to take it, it is necessary to check whether it can be taken together with the medications currently being treated.

In addition, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has announced an administrative notice to add contraindicated ingredient combinations to the ‘Drug Utilization Review (DUR)’ system used by doctors and pharmacists in medical settings when prescribing and dispensing, and is accepting opinions until the 17th of next month.

The newly added ingredients include ▲ 21 contraindicated ingredient combinations including the cold medicine ingredient ‘pseudoephedrine’ ▲ 11 ingredients contraindicated for specific age groups ▲ 189 ingredients contraindicated for pregnant women.