If there’s one thing that you should never do when taking medication, it's to take it too much. Overdose has serious consequences, including death so always pay attention to the proper dosage of your meds. Fortunately though, drugs are highly regulated by medical institutions and governing entities. You need to get a prescription before you can purchase certain drugs and its dosage and frequency are always clear.

However, not all drugs as heavily regulated. Over the counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that are considered safe even without the close eye of a doctor, and the can be obtained without a prescription.

It’s extremely important to note that even if over the counter drugs are easily obtainable, they can still cause serious harm to your body if they aren’t used correctly. With that said, be sure to thoroughly read the labels and warnings of OTC drugs before taking them. Below are a few things that you need to keep an eye out for:

• Active Ingredient(s)
• Inactive Ingredients
• Directions
• Warnings
• Uses
• Purpose
• Storage information
• Expiration date

Image credit: The Consumerist on Flickr