In light of the complaints, the Germans often go to the pharmacy than to a doctor. However, not every over-the-counter remedy is also advisable, warns Stiftung Warentest and 35 medicine called products, which you should save rather. Including many that are in the customers enormously popular to be found.
In order for a medical product is approved in Germany need medicine manufacturers to prove the efficacy and the safety. Stiftung Warentest sets the standards higher, as the authorities: The experts focus even more strongly on the long-term effect of the medication and evaluate whether the combination of the active ingredients is useful.
In fact, this is not given to many of the popular means necessarily. In a list, the experts summarize 35 over the counter remedies that you should save.
Combination preparations: Convenient but risky
Especially combination preparations, trimming the bad. So you referred to drugs, to treat a assortment of active ingredients frequently occurring symptoms of the disease with a single drug. Examples of this are popular products such as Grippostad C, Wick Medinait, Aspirin Complex or Neo-Angin are. The means are not only expensive, but often look worse, so is the conclusion.
The most common criticism of the Pro-tester: The active ingredients in the combination are not preparations, often combined in a meaningful way. For example, a pain, a cough, as well as stimulating and sedative plug in Wick Medinait. This would not be meaningful. “The individual common cold symptoms should be better dealt with separately”, so is the conclusion. Pain you should.for example, with Paracetamol to relieve against cold symptoms such as runny nose acting agents such as nasal drops be locally meaningful
This approach speaks that in the case of some combined preparations, by mixing the active compounds with an increased risk for side effects. This is Rhinopront the case notes were test. Also a long Take of drugs increases the risk. Therefore, the experts of products, from rates, the active compounds with caffeine connect. “The latter revived – what can tempt you to take the medium too often and too long”, so the Tester about the caffeine-containing medium double slit and Vivimed.
Also, individual agents make Trouble
But also of some drugs with a single active ingredient, the experts advise. Well-known laxative of the Abbey, or double-heart-set still on the classic castor oil. It is recommended to hardly: “castor oil acts more drastic than the appropriate means and can often cause side effects,” says test. Also of laxatives and Aloe, as well as Paraffin to discourages.
An Overview of the 35 “little appropriate” medications you can find for free at test.de. For a fee, you also get access to a database of over 9000 medicinal products and expert evaluation.
