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Inert Ingredients in                                    Over-The-Counter Remedies

--By Mary Krause, September 30, 2016

Consumers who value price believe generic medicines are the best. But inert ingredients in generic medicines and remedies may be important for an unexpected reason.

Some of these inert ingredients, which vary from one formulation to another, are chemicals to which some poeple may be sensitive or even allergic to.

This is true for common over-the-counter remedies too, including first aid products.

Calamine lotion is a well-known first aid lotion for insect bites and stings. Usually calamine is either a mixture of zinc oxide with ferric oxide or a zinc carbonate compound.

Calamine also is used to reduce itching in sunburn, rashes, poison ivy, poison oak, chicken pox and other common ailments or as an astringent to dry weeping or oozing blisters and rashes and acne abscesses.

Wikipedia notes that the World Health Organization (WHO) lists calamine as an essential medicine, among the most important medications for basic health care.

Recently, checking the inert ingredient list of Calamine Lotion became important after treatment of a probable spider bite with a Calamine lotion resulted in a worsening, enlarging area of redness, swelling, warmth, itchiness and tense skin discomfort.

The photo below shows the insect bite area as a streak of red inflammation enlarged the bite wound. The streak has almost a scorpion tail appearance as the wound spread into a larger oval.

This was a new generic brand of Calamine Lotion.

The usual calamine lotion used was Caladryl, a combination of calamine and an anti-histamine which often gave immediate relief as it reduced itching, redness, swelling and discomfort.

Caladryl is a well-known Johnson & Johnson product which is less often available on grocery & other shelves or may no longer be on the market.

(Continued in the next columm.)

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The new calamine lotion was Calahist ('distributed by Walgreen Co, Deerfield, IL Made in the USA with US and foreign components.')

A check of the ingredient list revealed a different anti-histamine than in Caladryl and two unusual inert ingredients, oil of lavender and oil of rosemary. Both are herbal remedies which are not necessarily inert.

According to www.Drug.com, oil of rosemary can cause a skin sensitivity reaction, allergic or contact dermatitis.

Oil of lavender is not FDA (Federal Drug Administration) approved for insect bites.

After discontinuing the Calahist, the bite wound slowly returned to its original size.

WalMart produces a 'Calamine Lotion' with a list of inert ingredients including Avicel, Bentonite Magma and Calcium Hydroxide. This product is distributed by HUMCO, Texarkana, TX. The bottle refers consumers to www.simplehomeremedies.com.

The CVS product 'Calamine Plus' most closely resembled the Johnson & Johnson Caladryl formulation. The bottle notes it is 'distributed by CVS Woonsocket, RI and 'is not manufactured or distributed by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, owner of the registered trademark Caladryl'.

Topcare, another over-the-counter first aid manufacturer or distributer of 'Made in China' products, markets a Calamine product which was not available.

This is an era of increased interest in 'natural' or 'herbal' remedies. However, not all natural remedies may be good for the consumer.

Herbal extraction and formulation information may not be readily available to the average consumer.

It is important to do some research into the safety and efficacy of herbal oils, extracts, and other formulations.

Read the product labels. Check with your family doctor for advice.

--By Mary Krause, September 30, 2016, text & photos copyright mkrause54@yahoo.com, 2016. Updated October 18, 2016.

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