I was told that over the counter medicines can be deducted. I hope that is true because I had them on my last tax return.
This is from IRS publication 502 for the year 2010. It is pretty vague unfortunately. If you can't claim vitamins does that mean you can't claim herbal supplements? It does not make a distinction.
What Are Medical Expenses?
Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body. These expenses include payments for legal medical services rendered by physicians, surgeons, dentists, and other medical practitioners. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes.
Medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness. They do not include expenses that are merely beneficial to general health, such as vitamins or a vacation.
Medical expenses include the premiums you pay for insurance that covers the expenses of medical care, and the amounts you pay for transportation to get medical care. Medical expenses also include amounts paid for qualified long-term care services and limited amounts paid for any qualified long-term care insurance contract.
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#en_US_publink1000178851
Oh No! I just found the paragraph: Nutritional Supplements:
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#en_US_publink1000179074
You cannot include in medical expenses the cost of nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements, natural medicines, etc. unless they are recommended by a medical practitioner as treatment for a specific medical condition diagnosed by a physician. Otherwise, these items are taken to maintain your ordinary good health, and are not for medical care.
I will need to have a talk with the guy who did my taxes!! It does look like, however, that you could get a note from your doctor and then claim it on your taxes.
