Over-the-Counter Medicines

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Spoon full of cough and cold medicine
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Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are those that can be sold directly to people without a prescription. OTC medicines treat a variety of illnesses and their symptoms, including pain, coughs and colds, diarrhea, constipation, acne, and others. Some OTC medicines have active ingredients with the potential for misuse at higher-than-recommended dosages. Learn about the health effects of OTC medicines Dextromethorphan (DMX) and Loperamide and read the DrugFacts on Over-the-Counter Medicines.

3.2% of 8th Graders misused cough medicine (nonprescription) in the past year.

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