Were they two different things? The 'difference' between convenience stores and pharmacies that half of the nation doesn't know

Have you ever purchased medicine at a convenience store?

I bought Tylenol when I was in a hurry or during travel because I had a headache.

I have a stock of cold medicine.

On weekends, both the hospital and pharmacy are closed, so I bought it while traveling...

I found that convenience stores sell more medicines than I expected.

I thought it was the same medicine when I bought it, but I didn't know the difference between <safety first aid supplies> and <general pharmaceuticals>.

The two medicines differ in dosage and ingredients.

Over-the-counter safety medicines are sold according to a one-day dosage, so it might be good to keep that in mind^^

According to a survey released on the 27th by the Gyeonggi Province Pharmacists Association and the Korea Consumer Agency, a survey of 1,240 adults aged 18 and over nationwide revealed that 54% of the public are unaware of the differences between the two medications.

Meanwhile, only 46% of respondents were aware of the difference.

According to the survey results, 3 out of 5 people in the nation have experience purchasing over-the-counter safety medicines. Meanwhile, 2 out of 5 people have never bought over-the-counter safety medicines.

The most common reason given for not purchasing over-the-counter medicines was that they already keep medicines at home regularly, so there was no need to buy them separately, accounting for 28.1%.

Next, 20.7% responded that they have no illnesses or symptoms that require the use of over-the-counter medicines sold at convenience stores. 17.4% of respondents said it was because they are more expensive than purchasing at a pharmacy.

Additionally, 15.5% responded that they cannot trust the safety of medicines sold outside pharmacies, and 6.8% responded that they are less effective than those purchased at pharmacies.

Among respondents who purchased over-the-counter medicines, 58.8% reported feeling a difference in effectiveness after taking both general medicines and over-the-counter medicines, while 46% recognized a difference in effectiveness, and 54% did not know about the effectiveness difference.

 

Over-the-counter safety medicines refer to medications among general pharmaceuticals that patients can use on their own for mild symptoms. 

Over-the-counter medicines are only sold at pharmacies, but safety non-prescription drugs can also be purchased at convenience stores.

 

The two medicines differ in dosage and ingredients. For example, the fever reducer and pain reliever 'Tylenol 500mg' contains 10 tablets in the pharmacy version, but only 8 tablets in the convenience store version.

This is because the maximum daily dose of Tylenol is 4000mg. Over-the-counter medications are sold according to the recommended daily dosage.

Chairman Lee Dong-hwan of the Management Pharmacology Research Society stated, "It is important to run campaigns that clearly inform consumers of the differences between safety over-the-counter medicines and general pharmaceuticals," and added, "It is necessary to help consumers understand the differences between safety over-the-counter medicines and general pharmaceuticals so they can make appropriate choices."

 

<Source: Wikitrib>