Drug Topics - January 14, 2008 - (Page 26) 26 DRUG TOPICS JANUARY 14, 2008 www.drugtopics.com Self-Care Featuring this month: Cough and cold medications What OTCs do R.Ph.s recommend for coughs, colds, and flu? Sandra Levy t’s that time of year again when you’re likely to hear a pharmacist doling out advice about over-thecounter items for coughs, colds, and flu. Pharmacists report that patients are asking for more counseling as a result of manufacturers’ substitution of phenylephrine (PE) for pseudoephedrine (PSE). This finding comes from an exclusive Drug Topics survey of a sampling of pharmacists in chain, independent, and other settings. To view the full survey results, go to www.drugtopics. com and click on Drug Topics Exclusive Surveys. Conducted by Advanstar Communications Research Services, the online survey was fielded in late November and closed in early December. It obtained a total of 249 usable replies. Sixty-four percent of respondents to Drug Topics’ 2007 Over-the-Counter Cough, Cold, and Flu Survey said that patients are asking for more counseling as a result of manufacturers’ substitution of PE for PSE; 78% reported that because of the recent voluntary withdrawal of I cough and cold products for infants, they get plenty of questions from parents confused by the controversy. When it comes to counseling patients on these medications, respondents said they counsel an average of 31 patients a week during cough, cold, and flu season. Respondents reported they spend an average of 3.3 minutes per session counseling customers on these products. Seeking advice Who gets the dialogue going? Customers aren’t shy about striking up a conversation with R.Ph.s. Some 87% of pharmacists mentioned that customers typically initiate the tête-à-tête. Pharmacists start the dialogue only 13% of the time. Pharmacists who live in the Southwest appear to counsel more patients per week during cough, cold, and flu season and those in the northeast counsel the least number of patients. When asked what prompts them to initiate discus- Which top two OTC cough and cold brands do pharmacists recommend? Multi-Symptom Adult Cold Liquid Preparations Dry Cough Children’s Liquid Cough Medications Adult Sinus Remedies Robitussin Cough & Cold Advil Cold & Sinus Multi-Symptom Adult Cold Tab/Caps Preparations Delsym Robitussin Cough Wet Cough Adult Liquid Cough Medications Sudafed Claritin Children’s Sinus Remedies Tylenol Severe Cold MultiSymptom Daytime Caplets Drixoral Multi-Symptom Children’s Cold Liquid Preparations Robitussin Private label Wet Cough Children’s Liquid Cough Medications Children’s Claritin Allergy Children’s Benadryl Allergy & Sinus Liquid Children’s Decongestant Children’s Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Pediacare Adult Cold Cures Robitussin Mucinex Adult Flu Remedies Sudafed Children’s Non Drowsy Nasal Decongestant Children’s Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Adult Decongestant OTC with Phenylephrine Theraflu Tylenol Adult Throat Sprays Zicam Cold-Eeze Adult Cold Prevention Sudafed PE Robitussin CF Adult Decongestant OTC with Pseudoephedrine Chloraseptic Cepacol Adult Fever Remedies Airborne Emergen-C Dry Cough Adult Liquid Cough Medications Tylenol Motrin liquid/tablets Children’s Fever Remedies Sudafed Claritin-D Breathing Remedies Delsym Robitussin DM Tylenol Motrin liquid/tablets Ocean Nasal Spray Sudafed Nasal Decongestant http://www.drugtopics.com
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