Save your teaspoons for tea

How do you measure your meds?

Too many people use plain old kitchen spoons–the little ones we call “teaspoons” and the larger ones commonly referred to as “tablespoons.”

But these spoons rarely measure out a true teaspoon or tablespoon… and a new study finds that most people who use them either give themselves too much medicine… or too little.

Remember, dosages aren’t suggestions: If you’re on a med, your goal is to take it for the shortest period of time at the lowest effective dose.

Researchers asked 195 former cold and flu sufferers to pour a teaspoon of nighttime flu medicine into kitchen spoons of different sizes.

They didn’t do very well. When they used a medium-sized tablespoon, they gave themselves an average of 8 percent too little. When they used a larger spoon, they poured an average of 12 percent too much, according to the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

By the way, the researchers never identified the specific med they used, but the one in their video demonstration at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab looks like one of the many over-the-counter liquids that contain acetaminophen.

That’s a med you don’t need in most cases… and if you do find yourself taking it, you really want to make sure you use precise measurements. Acetaminophen overdose sends more than 100,000 Americans to the emergency room every year, and it’s the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States.

Many people don’t overdose on it all at once (unless it’s a suicide attempt). Instead, people often take more than one med with acetaminophen without realizing it. Throw in some wrong measurements… and the problems can add up quick, whether you’re taking acetaminophen or any other medication.

And if you don’t overdose… you could end up with an underdose, making the med completely ineffective–yet still exposing you to the risk of side effects.

If you’re not doing so already, be sure to use a true measuring spoon or dosing syringe for your medications.

While you’re at it, don’t just question your measurements– question your meds. Remember, not all drugs are necessary, and a good doctor can help you reduce or eliminate many of your prescriptions.

But you have to be on board–I know one senior who recently told me what she thought was a horror story. She had been ill… and her doctor wouldn’t give her antibiotics.

I began to explain to her that the doctor probably didn’t think her illness was being caused by a bacterial infection, but she cut me off.

“It’s OK,” she said, trying to reassure me. “I went to another doctor and HE gave me my antibiotics.”

I wonder if she’s using a kitchen spoon or a measuring spoon for her unnecessary meds.