Search the Community

Been a while, but found this and thought it really needed to be shared. Remember - Over the Counter (OTC) doesn't mean safe. http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/the-over-the-counter-drug-reactions-you-should-watch-out-for/ar-AAq3eFA?ocid=ientp Here is the abbreviated version- Ibuprofen Brand names: Advil; Motrin. What it’s used to treat: Pain; fever. Possible side effects: Stomach pain/upset; stomach bleeding; nausea; increased risk of heartattack, heart failure and stroke; gas or bloating; constipation; dizziness; nervousness; ringing in the ears. The FDA also warns that ibuprofen, a NSAID drug, can cause an allergic reaction, especiallyin people allergic to aspirin. Side effects can include hives, facial swelling, shock, asthma, skin reddening, rashes and blistering. Naproxen Sodium Brand name: Aleve. What it’s used to treat: Minor aches and pains. Possible side effects:Abdominal pain; dizziness; headache; heartburn; nausea; lightheadedness. Naproxen sodium, like ibuprofen, is a NSAID and can cause the same allergic reactionsnoted above. Acetaminophen Brand name: Tylenol. What it’s used to treat: Pain; fever. Possible side effects: Allergic reactions can include: red, peeling or blistering skin; rash;hives; itching; swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, hands, feet, ankles or lower legs;hoarseness; difficulty breathing or swallowing. Liver damage can also occur if too much ofthe drug is consumed. According to the FDA, acetaminophen can also cause severe skin reactions called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis. Though these reactions are rare, they can be fatal, so it’s important to stop taking the drug and seek medical care immediately if a skin reaction develops. Aspirin Brand name: Bayer Aspirin. What it’s used to treat: Pain; fever; inflammation. It is also sometimes prescribed or taken as a treatment or preventive therapy for heart attacks, strokes and chest pain. Potential side effects:Upset stomach; heartburn; drowsiness; mild headache. More serious side effects can include allergic reactions marked by hives; difficulty breathing; swelling in the face, tongue, throat or lips. If an allergic reaction or any of the following occur, call your doctor immediately: “Ringing in your ears, confusion, hallucinations, rapid breathing, seizure (convulsions); severe nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain; bloody or tarry stools; coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.” Dextromethorphan Brand names: Benylin; Delsym; Robitussin; Vicks Formula 44. What it’s used to treat: Coughing. Potential side effects: Dizziness; lightheadedness; drowsiness; nervousness; restlessness; nausea; vomiting; stomach pain; rash; blurred vision; confusion; difficulty urinating; slowed breathing. Pseudoephedrine Brand names: Sudafed; Advil Cold & Sinus. What it’s used to treat: Common cold symptoms; congestion. Potential side effects: Nervousness; dizziness; sleeplessness. Less common, but still possible, side effects: Difficult or painful urination; fast or pounding heartbeat; headache; increased sweating; nausea or vomiting; trembling; paleness; weakness. Rare side effects: Seizures; hallucination; irregular or slow heartbeat; shortness of breath or trouble breathing. This drug cannot be combined with a prescription monoamine oxidase inhibitor, which includes certain drugs for depression, psychiatric or emotional conditions, or Parkinson’s disease. Diphenhydramine Brand name: Benadryl. What it’s used to treat: Allergies. Potential side effects:Dry mouth, nose, and throat; drowsiness; dizziness; nausea; vomiting; loss of appetite; constipation; chest congestion; headache; muscle weakness; excitement; nervousness. More serious side effects include: Painful or difficult urination; vision problems. Loratadine Brand names: Alavert, Claritin, Dimetapp ND. What it’s used to treat: Allergies. Potential side effects:Headache; dry mouth; nosebleed; sore throat; mouth sores; insomnia;nervousness; weakness; stomach pain; diarrhea; red or itchy eyes. More serious side effects include: Rash; hives; itching; swelling of the eyes, face, lips, throat, tongue, hands, arms, feet,ankles or lower legs; hoarseness; difficulty breathing or swallowing; wheezing. Loperamide Brand name: Imodium. What it’s used to treat: Diarrhea. Potential side effects: Dizziness; drowsiness; stomach pain, discomfort or swelling; constipation; fatigue. Call your doctor if you experience: rash; hives; itching; wheezing; difficulty breathing; fever; bloody stools; fainting; fast, pounding or irregular heartbeat; unresponsiveness. Dimenhydrinate Brand name: Dramamine. What it’s used to treat: Motion sickness. Potential side effects: Drowsiness; excitement; headache; dizziness; blurred vision; ringing inthe ears; dry mouth, nose or throat; poor coordination; fainting; nausea.

https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/the-5-suspect-ingredients-that-could-cost-the-beauty-industry-20-million-222121517.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb The recent buzz around Wen Hair Care — and the Food and Drug Administration’s warning that its cleansing conditioners have generated thousands of consumer complaints about rashes and bald spots — has refocused attention on the potential dangers of beauty products. It’s also reignited debate around proposed legislation that could tighten up FDA oversight of such products and their ingredients. Chief among those to be scrutinized are five suspect chemicals, including formaldehyde and lead, commonly found in cosmetics — from CoverGirl, Neutrogena, Vaseline, Almay, Coppertone, Aveeno, and many more major brands, available at pretty much any major retailer across the country. The proposed bipartisan bill, cosponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and currently awaiting committee hearings, would amend the FDA’s Cosmetic Act — last updated, unbelievably, in 1938, and basically leaving the entire makeup and skin-products industry unregulated. Feinstein got behind the bill after learning about the EU’s banning of more than 1,300 chemicals from personal care products — and how the United States, by comparison, has banned only 11 ingredients, including mercury and chloroform. The new law would give the FDA the authority to test cosmetics’ ingredients and issue mandatory recalls for products found to have toxins. It would also require a company to report any known serious adverse health effects to the FDA within 15 days. Smaller companies, including Wen and Mary Kay, are fighting the measure, noted a recent New York Times article, while bigger players, such as Johnson & Johnson and Revlon, support the bill. And while that might seem ironic, considering the ingredients used by major brands, they are the companies that can afford to pay the reported $20 million in proposed annual fees that would help cover the cost of testing five different ingredients each year. The first five, as decided upon through a group effort between Feinstein’s office and a range of companies, consumer groups, and the FDA, would be as follows: A form of formaldehyde called methylene glycol — recognized as a known human carcinogen and used by salons in hair smoothing treatments, including the popular Brazilian Blowout. On the Skin Deep database of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which details the risks of beauty products and their ingredients, it rates a 10 — the most dangerous — on a scale of 1 to 10. Studies have found it lurking even in smoothing treatments labeled “formaldehyde-free,” including the Brazilian Blowout. Propyl paraben, a preservative linked to hormone disruption. It rates a 7 on the EWG scale, which notes it can be found in more than 3,000 products including foundations (more than 15 from CoverGirl alone); moisturizers by CeraVe, Curel, Neutrogena, Vaseline, and Kiss My Face; lipsticks from Black Radiance, CoverGirl, L.A. Girl, and Wet n Wild; Almay, e.l.f., and CoverGirl mascaras; and sunscreens made by Banana Boat, Coppertone, and Hawaiian Tropic. Lead acetate, a potent neurotoxin linked to developmental, reproductive, and organ system toxicity, as well as cancer, used in men’s hair dyes and rating a 10 on the EWG scale. A handful of products still contain it, according to EWG, including Grecian Formula 16 Liquid with Conditioner, Youthair Hair Color & Conditioner for Men, Grecian Plus Gradual Hair Color Foam, and Youthair Crème. Diazolidinyl urea, a preservative that releases formaldehyde and is linked to allergic reactions and organ toxicity, rated a 6 on EWG’s scale. More than 650 sunscreens, moisturizers, eye makeups, and cleansers use it as an additive, including Kinerase Gentle Daily Cleanser, Almay Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Pads, Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple Lotion SPF 50, Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture, Aveeno Creamy Moisturizing Oil, John Frieda Full Body Repair Conditioner, and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Quaternium-15, another formaldehyde-releasing preservative linked to irritation and organ toxicity, rating an 8 on EWG’s scale. It can be found in a range of more than 150 products including Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash, Almay One Coat Thickening Mascara, Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Bath, CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 4 Kit Shadow, CVS Gentle Cleansing Wash, Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash, and Maybelline Great Lash Washable Mascara. “There are no other products so widely used that have such few safeguards,” Feinstein noted earlier this year in a press conference about the legislation. And whether that changes or whether the muscle of companies like Wen keeps things as is remains to be seen.

Your skin is the largest organ of your body and since it is porous, it absorbs whatever you put on it. Some studies have found that as much as 60% of the chemicals we put on our body are absorbed through the skin into our system. It is easy to see that what we use on our skin ends up inside our bodies. So it is important to pay close attention to the ingredients in our skin care products. If the products you use contain harmful ingredients such as harsh, toxic chemicals, colors, and fragrances, those ingredients make their way into your body, your blood and lymphatic system. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/ Myth – If it’s for sale at a supermarket, drugstore or department store cosmetics counter, it must be safe. Fact – The Food and Drug Administration has no authority to require companies to test cosmetics products for safety. The agency does not review or approve the vast majority of products or ingredients before they go on the market. FDA conducts pre-market reviews only of certain cosmetics color additives and active ingredients that are classified as over-the-counter drugs (FDA 2005, 2010). Myth – The government prohibits the use of all dangerous chemicals in personal care products, and companies wouldn’t risk using them. Fact – With the exception of color additives and a few prohibited substances, cosmetics companies may use any ingredient or raw material in their products without government review or approval (FDA 2005). Whereas the European Union has banned more than 1,000 ingredients from use in cosmetics, the FDA has only prohibited the following (FDA 2000a): Bithionol Chlorofluorocarbon propellants Chloroform Halogenated salicylanilides (di-, tri-, metabromsalan and tetrachlorosalicylanilide) Methylene chloride Vinyl chloride Zirconium-containing complexes Prohibited cattle materials (including material from non-ambulatory cattle, material from cattle not inspected and passed and mechanically separated beef). Myth – The cosmetics industry effectively polices itself, making sure that all ingredients meet a strict standard of safety. Fact – Since FDA does little to regulate ingredient safety, it has authorized the cosmetics industry to police itself through its Cosmetics Ingredient Review panel. In its more than 30-year history, the industry panel has declared only 11 ingredients or chemical groups to be unsafe (CIR 2012). Its recommendations on restricting ingredients are not binding on companies (FDA 2012). Myth – Cosmetic ingredients are applied to the skin and rarely get into the body. When they do, the amounts are too low to matter. Fact – People are exposed to cosmetics ingredients in many ways: breathing in sprays and powders, swallowing chemicals on the lips or hands or absorbing them through the skin. Biomonitoring studies have found that cosmetics ingredients – such as phthalate plasticizers, paraben preservatives, the pesticide triclosan, synthetic musks and sunscreen ingredients – are common pollutants in the bodies of men, women and children. Many of these chemicals are potential hormone disruptors (Gray 1986, Schreurs 2004, Gomez 2005, Veldhoen 2006). Cosmetics frequently contain enhancers that allow ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin. Studies have found health problems in people exposed to common fragrance and sunscreen ingredients, including increased risk of sperm damage, feminization of the male reproductive system and low birth weight in girls (Duty 2003, Hauser 2007, Swan 2005, Wolff 2008). Myth – Products made for children or bearing claims like “hypoallergenic” are safer choices. Fact – Most cosmetic marketing claims are unregulated, and companies are rarely, if ever, required to back them up, even for children’s products. The FDA says descriptions such as “hypoallergenic” or “natural” can “mean anything or nothing at all,” and while most of these terms “have considerable market value in promoting cosmetic products to consumers… dermatologists say they have very little medical meaning” (FDA 2000b). Myth – Natural and organic products are always safer. Fact – Products labeled natural or organic often contain synthetic chemicals, and even truly natural or organic ingredients are not necessarily risk-free. The global market for organic personal care products was valued at more than $7 billion in 2012, capturing the attention of consumers who prefer more natural or plant-based products (Cosmetics Design 2013). Products labeled “organic” or “natural” can contain petrochemicals, and those certified as organic can contain as little as 10 percent organic ingredients by weight or volume (Certech 2008). FDA tried to establish an official definition for the term “natural,” but this initiative was overturned in court (FDA 1998). Myth – FDA promptly recalls any product that injures people. Fact – FDA has no authority to require recalls of harmful cosmetics. Furthermore, manufacturers are not required to report cosmetics-related injuries to the agency. FDA relies on companies to report injuries voluntarily (FDA 2005). Myth – Consumers can read ingredient labels and avoid products with hazardous chemicals. Fact – Federal law allows companies to leave some chemical ingredients off their product labels, including those considered to be trade secrets, components of fragrance and nanomaterials (FDA 2011). Fragrance may include any number of the industry’s 3,100 stock chemicals (IFRA 2010), none of which is required to be listed on labels. Tests of fragrance ingredients have found an average of 14 hidden compounds per formulation, including ingredients linked to hormone disruption and sperm damage (EWG & CSC 2010). Myth – Cosmetics safety is a concern for women only. Fact – An EWG 2004 consumer survey showed that while on average women use 12 personal care products daily, men use an average of six a day, exposing themselves to more than 80 unique ingredients. Check your products out at - http://www.ewg.org/