Growing up, I was sickly with lots of allergies and hypersensitivity to weather changes. I had rhinitis almost everyday and would have fever or flu when the weather changed, especially during the rainy season. Being asthmatic and allergic to a lot of things — shrimps and crabs, chicken, chocolates, dust, and pollen, among other things — any minor illness would usually result or snowball into something inconvenient or worse. A simple cough can lead to asthma or can be a symptom of an asthma attack already.

Everytime I was sick or suffered from asthma or eczema attacks, my mother would use a combination of synthetic and herbal medication. She would often have soup with malunggay prepared. And for my skin allergies, there was always boiled guava leaves. I had to undergo these herbal medications alongside synthetic drugs such as salbutamol for my asthma, antihistamine and ceterizine for my allergies, and paracetamol for my cough and colds.

In college, I developed hypersensitivity to pain relievers and became allergic to it. So now, I am very careful with choosing the kind of medicines I choose. While I can take cough medicines, decongestants and antihistamine, I can’t take medicines combined with paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other pain relievers. Due to multiple illnesses and my recent bout with ITP, I have also become more conscious in getting sick and taking too much synthetic medicines since it can cause liver and kidney damage.

So now, to fight cough and colds, I try to have a healthier diet, drink a lot of fluids, take vitamins and eat fruits and vegetables for the vitamins and minerals they contain. But when the weather or stress do take it’s toll and cause cough, fever, asthma, or allergies, I take medication suggested by my doctors. I can’t self-medicate anymore since my body has become sensitive to almost anything.

I notice that a lot of medicine brands are into aggressive advertising nowadays, especially with prices dropping due to the Cheaper Medicines Law or RA 9502. Brand recall is important as the constant reminders by tv and print ads have helped me remember certain medicine brands during emergencies. There have been times when I am at the pharmacy and the generic names of the medicine I usually buy or need escape me so I ask for the brands that I remember most. And those that are advertising aggressively are usually the ones I remember. That’s effective advertising for you.

But now, I usually depend on my doctor to choose the kinds or brands of medicines I take, even for the simple kinds of illnesses such as coughs. Doctor recommendations are still the most influential and important factors for me when I’m buying medication since I have a unique illness.

How about you? How do you choose medication?