Updated March 26, 2015.

The last time you went to your local drugstore to pick up a medicine to treat symptoms of a cold or allergies, did you feel overwhelmed at the number of choices available? If you answered yes, then you’re not alone. Unpublished market research performed by MeditRight, LLC confirms that 84% of people are confused at the number of over-the-counter (OTC) options available to treat cold and allergy symptoms.

Despite the confusion, most consumers don’t “do their homework” prior to going to the drugstore, because 50% of people don’t know what they’re planning to buy until they are standing in the cold and allergy medicine aisle.

The indecision on which OTC cold or allergy medicine to buy is further illustrated by the fact that more than 75% of people spend five or more minutes making a decision on which product to purchase, and almost 40% spend 10 or more minutes to decide.  Many people (40%) rely on a recommendation from a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist, prior to purchasing an OTC cold or allergy medicine – although these recommendations may be difficult to obtain, especially late at night or on the weekends. And, despite the availability of “multi-symptom” cold and allergy products, nearly 80% of people are concerned about taking a “multi-symptom” medication that includes ingredients that are not needed to treat their symptoms.

How Does MeditRight Work?

MeditRight is a free downloadable mobile application currently available for iOS (iPhone and iPad), but will soon be available for the Android platform as well.

Once downloaded, MeditRight will display a standard disclaimer notifying the user that the app is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition – but rather is a tool to match symptoms with OTC cold and allergy medicines that have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved uses for a person’s symptoms. People with chronic medical conditions, those taking prescription medications and pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult their healthcare professional before taking any OTC medication. A user should always follow package instructions, as these instructions always take precedence over any information obtained by the MeditRight application.

Once the disclaimer is agreed to, a user will be asked what the age of the person needing the medicine is. While many OTC cold and allergy medicines are available for different age groups, not all medicines can be used for all ages of people. Next, MeditRight asks what the person’s symptoms are. These symptoms may include typical allergy symptoms, such as itchy nose and eyes, or typical cold symptoms, such as fever and body aches. Some symptoms are not unique to a cold or allergies, however, such as sneezing, nasal congestion and a runny nose. This is where MeditRight can be particularly helpful in narrowing down the choice of appropriate medicines based on a person’s symptom.

MeditRight then goes further to help narrow down appropriate choices of OTC cold and allergy medicines by asking the user their preference of formulation type. For example, a user can choose pills, syrup, lozenges, nasal sprays, etc. – although “no preference” is the default choice, in which all medications will be listed by formulation type.

Lastly, MeditRight lets users choose side effects that they wish to avoid, such as insomnia or sedation. This option will exclude medications such as decongestants (such as Sudafed), which can cause insomnia, or sedating antihistamines (such as Benadryl), which can cause sedation, depending on the options chosen. “No preference” is the default choice.

MeditRight Results

Once all of the above data is inputted into the MeditRight application, a list of medication matches are shown. Again, these are listed by formulation type, so that a user can choose exactly the type of medication that is desired. In order to assist the user further, once a particular medication is chosen, an image of the medication is shown, which makes it easier for the user to find that same medication on the store shelf.

Learn more about choosing an appropriate OTC cold and allergy medicine.

Notice:Daniel More, MD the guide of About Allergies and has been a practicing physician for 17 years.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this site is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Please see your physician for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition.