Side effects: Authority calls for smaller painkiller packs

Shelf with prescription packaging: painkiller sales should be restricted
Prepared for any situation: Many people buy painkillers at the pharmacy happy to supply. This should now be concluded. Because of possible side effects of aspirin, ibuprofen and Co. will in future only be sold over the counter in smaller packages.

If you always like to have a painkiller supply in the medicine cabinet is likely to be soon put off in small packages: Because of the risks to the free sales are restricted. Pharmacies, some of the most common pain relievers only sell in small packages without a prescription. Reason, the sometimes dangerous side effects of drugs that can occur when careless handling of the drugs.

Should be limited to packs of OTC pain relievers with the drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen. The committee recommended a key at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) in Bonn on Tuesday.
The final decision rests with the Federal Ministry of Health. "We will thoroughly examine the recommendation," said a ministry spokesman in Berlin.




Statistics: The number of non-prescription pain relievers were sold in Germany in 2011
Prescription-free packages of the funding will be limited according to the recommendation for a maximum treatment period of four days. Larger packages will be available on prescription. In the long run can damage the stomach lining and painkillers lead to gastrointestinal bleeding. But many people are hardly aware of these possible side effects. For example, amateur athletes access to like painkiller - as prophylaxis.
The opinions of experts about the exact sizes of the packages that you will get without a prescription vary. But the recommendation of the Committee of Experts on prescription is considered an important stage in the months-long struggle over this question. The committee of independent experts sitting as well as doctors and industry representatives.

The independent committee in its recommendations now followed a request of BfArM. Institute President Walter Schwerdtfeger, welcomed the vote: "For us as a monitoring authority is beyond question that may have an excessive use of analgesics in some cases serious health consequences." Many patients are not sufficiently aware of these risks. "Limiting the package size is therefore an important step for more information and patient safety."

Through another application, according to a prescription paracetamol, was not decided initially.