Benefits and Risks of Self Medication

Hughes, Carmel; McElnay, James; Fleming, Glenda

doi:10.2165/00002018-200124140-00002

Cited by 529 publications

(571 citation statements)

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“…1 The World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed out that responsible use of self-medication can prevent and treat diseases that do not require medical consultation and offers the cheaper alternative for treating common illnesses. 2 OTC drugs must be practiced based on authentic medical information otherwise irrational use of drugs can cause increase in the resistance of pathogens, wastage of resources, and can lead to serious health hazards such as adverse drug reaction and prolonged morbidity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of over the counter drugs among 3rd year medical students of a teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada, South India

2020

IJCAAP

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Introduction: Over the Counter (OTC) drugs are medicines, available without a prescription, and hence also referred to as 'nonprescription drugs'. These drugs include tonics, iron preparations, vitamin medications, analgesics, NSAIDS, cough syrups, dermatological products, drugs for pyrexia, laxatives etc. Usage of OTC drugs can lead to unwanted drug interactions, misuse / abuse of drugs and ADRs. So it is important to assess people's knowledge and understanding about OTC drugs. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted during October 2017 with a self-structured and pre-validated questionnaire. Study group consisted of ninety 3rd year medical students who have completed the Pharmacology course. Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses. Results: In this study, it was observed that 94.5% of the students were aware of OTC drugs. Among 90 students, 87 students ((96.7%) have used OTC drugs at least once. Fever (43.3%) followed by headache (38.9%) were the most common illnesses for which OTC drugs used. Difficulty in consulting doctor and easy availability of drugs were some of the reasons for using OTC drugs. Medical books and advertisements were the most common source of information used to know about OTC drugs. Most number of students (76.7%) were aware of toxicities and interactions of drugs which could be seen because of irrational use of OTC medications. Conclusion: This study shows that majority of the students were aware of OTC drugs and used them regularly. Fever, headache was the most common illness for seeking medication. Easy availability, difficulty in consulting doctor were some of the reasons for using OTC drugs. Majority of the students used medical text books and advertisements as the source of information to know about OTC drugs. There is also need to create awareness and educate students regarding advantages and disadvantages of using OTC drugs by the teaching faculties in the institutions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of over the counter drugs among 3rd year medical students of a teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada, South India

2020

IJCAAP

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“…Benefits of OTC include lower cost than prescription drugs (4), and fewer visits to physicians, leading to lower healthcare costs (5). However, there are also many risks associated with OTC, including physiological adverse effects (e.g., gastrointestinal bleeding and endstage renal disease) or psychological harm (e.g., opiate addiction) (6)(7)(8).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and predictors of over-the-counter medication use among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

Barakat-Haddad

Siddiqua

2017

East Mediterr Health J

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Prévalence et facteurs prédictifs de l'automédication chez les adolescents aux Émirats arabes unisRÉSUMÉ Les formes de l'automédication chez les adolescents des Émirats arabes unis (EAU) demeurent largement sousdocumentées. La présente étude a pour objectifs de : 1) déterminer le profil de l'automédication chez les adolescents des Émirats arabes unis ; et 2) de déterminer les facteurs prédictifs biologiques ou physiques, psychologiques ou comportementaux, et sociaux de cette pratique parmi la population d'adolescents des Émirats arabes unis. À l'aide d'un modèle d'étude transversale, des données ont été collectées sur la prévalence de l'automédication auprès d'un échantillon de 6363 adolescents. Au total, 51 % des participants de cette étude ont rapporté avoir recours à une médication sans ordonnance. La forme la plus courante concernait le paracétamol. Les facteurs prédictifs significatifs de médication sans ordonnance étaient les suivants : la nationalité (Émirats arabes unis, pays du Conseil de Coopération du Golfe/MoyenOrient, arabes/africains, occidentaux et autres) ; un besoin en soins de santé non satisfait ; le sexe (femme) ; l'âge (15-18ans) ; tous types de diagnostic médical ; un usage non conventionnel des médicaments ; le fait de passer plus de cinq heures devant la télévision ou l'ordinateur chaque jour ; et de consommer des médicaments délivrés sur ordonnance. Il est donc nécessaire de mettre au point des politiques et des stratégies de santé publique qui fassent la promotion d'un usage approprié des médicaments délivrés sans ordonnance dans la population. (1) to determine the profile of OTC use among UAE adolescents; and (2) to determine the biological or physical, psychological or behavioural, and social predictors of OTC use among the UAE adolescent population. Using a cross-sectional study design, data were collected on the prevalence of OTC use for a sample of 6363 adolescents. Overall, 51% of participants in this study reported OTC use. The most common form of OTC used was acetaminophen. Significant predictors of OTC use were: nationality (UAE, GCC, Arab / Middle East, Arab / Africa, Western, other); needed health care but did not receive it; sex (female); age (15-18 years); any medical diagnosis; unconventional drug use; spending more than 5 hours using TV and computer daily; and using prescription medicines. Thus, there is a need to develop public health policies and strategies that promote appropriate use of OTC in the population. ‫املتحدة‬ ‫العربية‬ ‫اإلمارات‬ ‫يف‬ ‫املراهقني‬ ‫بني‬ ‫طبية‬ ‫وصفة‬ ‫دون‬ ‫األدوية‬ ‫استخدام‬ ‫وتنبؤ‬ ‫انتشار‬

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“…Another reason is that by OTC use patients do not need to pay physician's consultation fee, so it will lower the healthcare costs. Physical disabilities, constant time pressure of today's lifestyle and increasing availability and promotion of pharmaceutical products are noted as other reasons (Hughes et al, 2001;Sharma et al, 2015). Analgesics and in particular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among drugs with the highest prevalence of use (with or without prescription).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and awareness of over the counter use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

2017

J App Pharma Sci

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Objectives: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the drugs with the highest prevalence of use (with or without prescription). While a notable percent of patients have incomplete knowledge about appropriate use of over the counter drugs. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the pattern of over the counter use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and also the public knowledge about different aspects of over the counter use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as adverse effects, proper dose and drug interactions with concurrent medications. Material and methods: The in-charge pharmacists of the 10 pharmacies asked purchaser the important questions about OTC use of NSAIDs and then recorded the responses using face-to-face interviewing. The incharge pharmacists interviewed with 600 NSAIDs purchasers during the study. Results: More than half of all the purchasers received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use recommendation either by physicians or pharmacists. But less than 35% of the purchasers had been informed by the physicians or pharmacists about drug interactions, adverse effects and proper use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. It was found 63.8% of the customers used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as needed and 23.3% of them used usual dose. In addition, 92.5% and 79.2% of the consumers were not aware of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs drug interactions and side effects, respectively. The most prevalent concurrent medical conditions were cardiovascular diseases (12.2%). Conclusion:The level of public knowledge regarding non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was low.

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Benefits and Risks of Self Medication

Cited by 529 publications

References 42 publications

A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of over the counter drugs among 3rd year medical students of a teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada, South India

A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of over the counter drugs among 3rd year medical students of a teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada, South India

Prevalence and predictors of over-the-counter medication use among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

Evaluation and awareness of over the counter use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

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