Striking Prevalence of Over-the-Counter Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Use in Patients With Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

Peptic Ulcer Bleeding: Interaction between Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs,Helicobacter pyloriInfection, and the ABO Blood Group System

“…The use of over-the-counter NSAIDs is not exactly known but is estimated to be at maximum 2%. In a study of patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the USA the overall prevalence of NSAID use was 54%; prescribed use of aspirin and non-aspirin NSAIDs was reported in 6% and 14% of the patients, respectively, whereas the use of over-thecounter aspirin and non-aspirin NSAID was 35% and 9% (17). The population in this U.S. study was primarily black patients, living in an area where over-the-counter aspirin is commonly advertised and often consumed for non-medical reasons.…”

The effects of nonselective non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications on the risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction and their interaction with aspirin

“…As a result, they could not identify non-prescription NANSAID use nor estimate the effect of NANSAIDs separately in non-aspirin users. With respect to the former, a large proportion of NANSAID use is likely to be non-prescription (19) (80% of all NANSAID use among our controls, and even 47% of NANSAID among the Medicaid population). These non-prescription NANSAID users would have been characterized as "unexposed" in these prior database studies.…”

Toxicities of Drugs Used in the Management of Fever

“…In one series, the overall prevalence of NSAID use among patients with bleeding peptic ulcers in the week before admission was 56% [8]. At the time this series was accumulated (1990-1992), ibuprofen was the only NSAID available without a prescription.…”