Monday, November 11, 1996
HEALTH:
With over-the-counter medications increasing in use, many forget
other remediesBy Rachel Kelley
Daily Bruin Contributor
Sifting through the contents of a "Good Stuff" campus free pack
may indicate that over-the-counter medications are in high demand
among college students  given that the majority of the free
products, made available to UCLA students at the beginning of the
year, consist of Tylenol, Nyquil and Vivarin.
And looking at the number of students who went out of their way
to get one or steal another, one might think that the colorful
boxes contained a million dollars.
According to Stephanie Baldovi, a second-year undeclared student
and Student Health Advocate in Sproul Hall, there are definitely
monetary incentives for students to get excited about free
medicine. "Nobody wants to pay $8 for a bottle of Tylenol at the
store," she said.
But despite popular misconceptions and the prevalence of
over-the-counter medication on college campuses, students are not
making a habit out of popping pills for every ache and pain,
according to Dr. Anita Washington-Murphy, a pharmacist with Student
Health Services.
Washington-Murphy says the real problem is not that students are
overusing non-prescribed substances, but rather that students think
that over-the-counter medications act as a cure.
"In general, students treat themselves before going to a doctor.
And what many people don’t seem to understand is that
over-the-counter medications treat symptoms and not the disease
state," Washington-Murphy said.
The myth that medication like Advil, Tylenol, and cold tablets
are the end-all, cure-all for the common cold is highly accepted in
the dorms  where non-prescribed medications are easily
accessible to students through the Student Health Advocates (SHA)
Program, Baldovi said.
Despite the SHA’s goal "to promote students to make healthy
choices that will positively affect their lifestyles," Baldovi says
students usually choose pills, as opposed to the non-medicative
treatment options, because they want fast relief.
"Students have it ingrained in their heads that Sudafed is going
to help them more than sleeping eight hours instead of four,"
Baldovi added.
Many students refuse to accept the notion that the body can ward
off infections naturally.
"I’ve tried to rest (the cold) off, and it just doesn’t work,"
said Karen Lang, a second-year undeclared student. Baldovi says
that most students in the residence halls share Lang’s view that
the body needs medication to fight colds and flus.
"Every time someone comes to me complaining of a headache or
stomach cramps they are given the option of taking medication or
trying other ways of alleviating their discomfort. And close to
every time they ask for medication before I have a chance to talk
to them," Baldovi said.
Most students are not aware of the long term effects of
over-the-counter medications, primarily liver damage,
Washington-Murphy said. But not knowing the possible consequences
is enough to shy some students away from using non-prescribed
drugs.
"I know that bacteria can build a resistance to antibiotics, and
I’m not sure about over-the-counter products, so I choose to play
it safe and stay away from them," said Kalena Suphichaikulphong, a
third-year microbiology student.
However, according to Washington-Murphy, as long as the dosage
levels are followed and students follow up with a doctor if
problems persist for more than three or four days, there is no
reason not to take over-the-counter substances to curtail
discomfort.
Despite suggested dosages, other students opt for alternative
medicine, such as using Chinese herbs or meditative techniques to
heal the body.
"If the mind can make people feel sick, the mind also has the
capability of making people healthy," said Bob Chen, a fourth-year
psychology student. "Taking pills to cure the common cold is just
one example of society becoming dependent on taking the easy way
out."
Lang, however, disagrees that the mind alone is capable of
remedying physiological problems.
"Willing something away isn’t going to make it go away. And
herbs … you use them to season your food," Lang said.
According to Washington-Murphy, the best method for treatment of
the common cold and flu is a combination of the two forms of
medical practices.
"I don’t think that one way should be the only way. They should
complement each other," she said. "Over-the-counter medications
definitely have their place as long as they are used
appropriately."