The “Other” Effect of Over-the-Counter Medicine
Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol: these common over-the-counter medications (OTCs) are perhaps America’s most bought and sought treatment, and the annual sales has been continuously increasing. As OTCs provide easier access and cheaper alternatives to prescribed medication, Americans are consuming more and more of them. In fact, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association reports that an average American family spends roughly $338 per year on OTC. The same agency also highlighted that OTCs can potentially increase productivity in the American workforce by $23 billion.
While OTCs may seem beneficial, many general consumers are not aware of the side effects to their mental health. Dr. Kyle Ratner, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at University of California, Santa Barbara, recently revealed unexpected psychological effects of OTCs and what regular use of OTCs could do the consumer in the February issue of Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Ratner’s paper highlighted multiple facts about OTC that are not generally recognized by the public. His research team suggests that analgesics, non-addictive pain medications, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, can influence social pain management in addition to that of physical pain; these drugs are able to change how people cope with emotional distress and affect cognitive processes.
While OTCs may seem beneficial, many general consumers are not aware of the side effects to their mental health. Dr. Kyle Ratner, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at University of California, Santa Barbara, recently revealed unexpected psychological effects of OTCs and what regular use of OTCs could do the consumer in the February issue of Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Ratner’s paper highlighted multiple facts about OTC that are not generally recognized by the public. His research team suggests that analgesics, non-addictive pain medications, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, can influence social pain management in addition to that of physical pain; these drugs are able to change how people cope with emotional distress and affect cognitive processes.
Over-the-counter medications may help with dealing with social pain.
In his study, Ratner reported how a similar biological mechanism is shared between physical and social pain. The neural network that is activated during physical pain is overlapped with that of social pain. Thus, OTC consumption not only reduces physical pain but also has potential to influence sensitivity of social pain. It was found that feeling of social rejection can be lessened when acetaminophen was taken. Participants of a real-life social experiment that were in an induced environment of social exclusion have shown such effect. In addition, Ratner also found that participants who took acetaminophen showed less empathy toward scenes of social exclusion and negative stereotypes.
Concerned about such findings, Ratner posed important questions for policymakers about the impact of readily available OTC. He claims that they must also be considering OTC’s psychological effects, as consumers may risk their health. He added that these yet-to-be-studied effects would be especially detrimental to pregnant women and developing children. The possibilities of kids acquiring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been linked to acetaminophen exposure, and consumers should be aware of such relationship.
Ratner believes that OTC’s psychological impact may lead to finding further benefits as well. The intriguing findings about OTC may lead to usage of OTC in ways they have not been applied yet. Ratner indicated that emotional pain could possibly be managed with the use of OTCs. He also suggested that more dedicated research effort could lead to effective incorporation of OTCs to prevalent mental illness such as depression and social anxiety disorder.
Concerned about such findings, Ratner posed important questions for policymakers about the impact of readily available OTC. He claims that they must also be considering OTC’s psychological effects, as consumers may risk their health. He added that these yet-to-be-studied effects would be especially detrimental to pregnant women and developing children. The possibilities of kids acquiring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been linked to acetaminophen exposure, and consumers should be aware of such relationship.
Ratner believes that OTC’s psychological impact may lead to finding further benefits as well. The intriguing findings about OTC may lead to usage of OTC in ways they have not been applied yet. Ratner indicated that emotional pain could possibly be managed with the use of OTCs. He also suggested that more dedicated research effort could lead to effective incorporation of OTCs to prevalent mental illness such as depression and social anxiety disorder.
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