Vocabulary needed to make decisions on what OTCs to take and buy

1. Seasonal Allergies
OTCs

2. OTCs
Over the Counter (medicine)

3. Rx
Prescription Drugs

5. GELS

6. Caplet
A mix of CAPsules and tabLET

7. Coated pills
Drugs that have an irritant effect on the stomach, such as aspirin or potassium
chloride, can be coated with a substance that will dissolve only in the small
intestine

8. Dosage vs. Dose
Dose is the quantity or the amount of medicine to be taken every time.
Expressed in ml, cc, or mg. (sometimes written as tsp or tbsp too)
Dosage is the frequency of the medication. (OD, BD, TDS)
OD = Once a day
BD = 2 time a day
TDS = 3 times a day

9. 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 milliliters (mL)
3 teaspoons (tsp) = 1 tablespoon (tbsp)
1 tablespoon (Tbsp) = 15 milliliters (mL)

10. Medicine Cups

11. Dosing/Medicine Spoons

12. Droppers/Syringes

13. Instructions

14. • TAKE ____ TABLET ONCE/TWICE/THREE TIMES DAILY
• Apply affected area…
• For Intranasal use only
• Place 1 or 2 drops in the affected eye(s)…
• Spray 1 or 2 times into each nostril
• Smooth a generous amount over skin
• Keep out of reach of children
• Apply a thin film to the affected area
• For external use only

15. Types of Medicine
to alleviate allergy symptoms

16. Antihistamines
used especially in the treatment of allergies.

17. Decongestant
used to relieve nasal congestion (blocked nose, stuffy
nose)

18. Ways to
Administer
medicine
Different ways to “put”
medicine into the body

19. • Topical: applied
directly to a part of
the body
Oral: taken through
the mouth
Inhaler: a drug that is
to be breathed in
Spray: applied as a
jet of liquid in fine
drops