Reading a Medication Label

Nonprescription medications in the United States are required to have labels that explain their benefits and risks and how to use the medication correctly. The label is entitled “Drug Facts.” Active ingredients are listed at the top, followed by uses, warnings, directions, other information, and inactive ingredients.

Active ingredient: The medication itself is the active ingredient. Combination products have more than one active ingredient. The medication’s generic name is listed with the amount of medication in each tablet, capsule, or dose unit. The same generic medication may be sold under several different trade (brand) names.

Uses: Symptoms or disorders for which the medication product is recommended are listed.

Warnings: When the medication should not be used, when a doctor or pharmacist should be consulted (and after how long), and which factors can alter the expected response to the medication are listed, usually in the following sections.

• "Do not use" includes situations in which a person should not use the medication or should use the medication only under a doctor's direction.

• “Ask a doctor before use if you have” lists conditions that can make taking the medication problematic or unsafe. This section refers to drug-disease interactions.

• “Ask a doctor or a pharmacist before use if you are” lists other medications that can interfere with the medication’s effectiveness or safety. This section refers to drug-drug interactions.

• “When using this product” includes common side effects, foods that may interfere with the medication’s effectiveness or safety (drug-food interactions), and special precautions to take (for example, not driving while taking the medication).

• "Stop and ask a doctor if" includes any reaction that would require a person to immediately stop using the drug product.

• The last section lists special warnings for pregnant people or those who are breastfeeding and for children, with instructions about what to do in case of an overdose.

Directions: How much of the medication to take and how often to take the medication are given for different age groups, because size and age, among other factors, affect how a person responds to a medication.

Other information: Special instructions, such as how to store the medication so that it does not deteriorate, are listed.

Inactive ingredients: In addition to the medication, medication products contain substances added to facilitate the administration of the medication, such as ingredients that provide bulk or a pleasant taste and color. Different products with the same active ingredient may contain different inactive ingredients. Inactive ingredients are usually harmless, but some of them cause an allergic reaction in a few people, who should look for products made without those ingredients.