We all do it: we let over-the-counter (OTC) medicines like pain relievers for a headache, allergy medicine, or cough and cold products pile up in our bathrooms. Especially over the past few years, you may have let medications linger in the house past their expiration dates. But old and unneeded medication should be disposed of safely, and springtime is the perfect time to get it done. Proper medicine disposal keeps our homes and communities safe and our environment clean, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the national trade association representing manufacturers of OTC medicines." Medication safety is everyone’s responsibility, and proper medication disposal is an important part of medication safety," says Anita Brikman, Executive Director of the CHPA Educational Foundation, which is a 501c3 organization focused on promoting the safe use, storage and disposal of OTC medicines and dietary supplements to consumers. "How you dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired OTC medicines is important and easy," she says. So clean out your medicine cabinet this spring, and choose one of these three quick and easy disposal methods:– In-Home Disposal. Many OTC medications, and some prescription medications, can be thrown out with your regular trash at home. Mix the medicine (do not crush any tablets or capsules) with some especially unappealing trash, such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds, and place the mixture in a sealed plastic bag. Then put the bag in your usual household trash bin, and you’re done.– In-Store Disposal. Many pharmacies provide designated kiosks where you can bring any medication, OTC, or prescription, for safe disposal. The website MyOldMeds.com has a zip code locator tool to find more than 22,000 verified sites nationwide that offer free medicine-disposal options all year long.– Take-Back Events. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducts national Drug Take-Back Day events, and the next one will occur this year on April 30. These events, which are set up temporarily at convenient community-based locations throughout the country, serve as an opportunity to return medications safely as a friendly public-service reminder to clean out your medicine cabinet. Visit KnowYourOTCs.org for more details about safely disposing of medications at home, and visit MyOldMeds.com to find secure and safe disposal locations near you. Every over-the-counter (OTC) medicine has one or more specific ingredients called active ingredients that make the medicine work. For example, the active ingredient is what helps your fever go down, reduces your pain, or relieves your cough. It is especially important to pay attention to the active ingredients in your OTCs if you are taking more than one medicine—whether OTC or prescription—to make sure you are not taking too much of the same active ingredient, which could be harmful. Browse the conditions and treatments below for helpful information on products and ingredients. The primary function of the skin is to provide a protective shield for our internal organs, tissues, and bones. Even though it’s a powerful barrier, the skin is also vulnerable to a host of common injuries and irritations. There are different types of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines used to protect skin and treat common ailments, including skin protectants, first-aids, and antifungals.

OTC active ingredients in skincare products:

• Hydrocortisone
  Cortaid®, Cortizone-10®, Dermarest®, Itch-X®
• Clotrimazole
  Lotrimin®, Gyne-Lotrimin®
• Terbinafine
  Lamisil®
• Benzocaine
  Americaine®, Lanacane®, Orajel™, Vagisil®
• Diphenhydramine
  Ivarest®
• Menthol
  Absorbine Jr.®, Aspercreme®, BENGAY®, Blistex®, Salonpas®
• Phenylephrine
  Neo-Synephrine®, Preparation H®
• Dimethicone
  Blistex®

First-Aid Antibiotics

What Are First-Aid Antibiotic Medicines For?

Even if you are an exceptionally careful individual, it is virtually impossible to avoid getting a minor skin injury from time to time. Perform an everyday task like cooking dinner or doing yard work, and you might end up with a cut, scrape, or burn. If not properly cleaned and attended to, these injuries can become a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. Once these organisms enter a wound, they can cause several problems, such as pain, swelling, redness, itching, and oozing. If left untreated, an infection may lead to serious health concerns. First-aid antibiotic medicines are used to help prevent infection in minor skin injuries.

How First-Aid Antibiotic Medicines Work

First-aid antibiotics, like all over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, contain certain active ingredients that make them work on the human body. The product’s active ingredients, including how much of a substance is in each dose, are listed first on the Drug Facts label.

First-aid antibiotics are topical medicines available in spray, ointment, cream, and powder form.

These products should only be used on the outer surface of the body. When applied to a wound, the active ingredients in first-aid antibiotics work by killing bacteria, which prevents an infection from developing.

OTC medications in first-aid antibiotics products:

• Bacitracin
• Bacitracin zinc
• Neomycin sulfate
• Polymyxin B