Over-the-counter (OTC) drug


A drug for which a prescription is not needed.

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  • Overactive bladder

    A sudden involuntary contraction of the muscular wall of the bladder causing urinary urgency, an immediate unstoppable need to urinate. It is a form of urinary incontinence (the unintentional loss of urine) and affects about 1 in 11 adults, particularly older adults. Treatment may include pelvic muscle strengthening, behavioral therapy, and medications. Also called urge […]

  • Overgrowth

    Excessive growth. Also sometimes called gigantism.

  • Overgrowth syndrome

    Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome; hemihyperplasia; Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome; Perlman syndrome; Sotos syndrome; Weaver syndrome; Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome; Proteus syndrome; Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, Parkes Weber syndrome, and Sturge-Weber syndrome; Maffucci syndrome; neurofibromatosis; and fragile X syndrome. Overproduction of growth hormone by the pituitary gland causes overgrowth before adolescence and a distinctive pattern of overgrowth called acromegaly.

  • Overload, iron

    People with certain genetic conditions such as hemochromatosis; and People receiving repeated blood transfusions. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Recommended Dietary Allowances of iron are 15 milligrams per day for women and 10 milligrams per day for men.

  • Overweight

    The term “overweight” is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way of saying imprecisely that someone is heavy. The other sense of “overweight” is more precise and designates a state between normal weight and obesity. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now defines overweight in terms of the BMI (the […]


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