ABSTRACT
The aim was to describe medication use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. This observational study was a multi-city cross-sectional study that involved an online survey and included people of all ages and educational levels living in Saudi Arabia. The survey was filled out by 403 respondents. Most of the respondents used at least one medicine (93.55%) and 31.02% of them used herbal products during the corona epidemic. Ginger was the most used (32.80%), followed by lemon (25.60%), honey (19.20%), and Nigella sativa (14.40%). The most frequently used medication was paracetamol (90.72%), followed by ibuprofen (11.67%), azithromycin (6.63%), penicillin antibiotics (5.04%), and vitamin C (4.24%). About 50% of the respondents said that the medication relieves only some symptoms and only 19.36% of them said that the medication relieves all of the symptoms. The present study showed that several medications and herbal products were used commonly during the corona epidemic although there was no clinical evidence of using most of these products. Most of the public misinformation is gained from social media so it is important to increase the awareness of the public about the use of medications and herbal products during the corona epidemic.
ABSTRACT
The aim was to describe medication use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. This observational study was a multi-city cross-sectional study that involved an online survey and included people of all ages and educational levels living in Saudi Arabia. The survey was filled out by 403 respondents. Most of the respondents used at least one medicine (93.55%) and 31.02% of them used herbal products during the corona epidemic. Ginger was the most used (32.80%), followed by lemon (25.60%), honey (19.20%), and Nigella sativa (14.40%). The most frequently used medication was paracetamol (90.72%), followed by ibuprofen (11.67%), azithromycin (6.63%), penicillin antibiotics (5.04%), and vitamin C (4.24%). About 50% of the respondents said that the medication relieves only some symptoms and only 19.36% of them said that the medication relieves all of the symptoms. The present study showed that several medications and herbal products were used commonly during the corona epidemic although there was no clinical evidence of using most of these products. Most of the public misinformation is gained from social media so it is important to increase the awareness of the public about the use of medications and herbal products during the corona epidemic. Copyright © 2022, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.