Consumption of over-the-Counter Drugs: Prevalence and Type of Drugs.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 18(11)2021 05 21.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1266713
ABSTRACT
Recently, there has been an increase in the use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The consumption of these medicines can be unsafe, as incorrect self-diagnosis or the ingestion of inappropriate doses can lead to side effects and the occurrence of adverse reactions and drug-drug interactions. A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out, targeting the entire Spanish population by using an online questionnaire. The results showed that 78.9% of the subjects had previously taken or were currently taking OTC drugs. This consumption decreased as the age of the subjects increased, with a prevalence of 36.4% of subjects aged ≥ 71 taking OTC drugs. Analgesics were the most consumed OTC drugs (49.1%) especially in women, youngsters with non-formal educational qualifications, and individuals of a low-medium socioeconomic level residing in urban areas. Measures should be implemented to optimize the safe use of OTC drugs in order to avoid the occurrence of secondary events associated with the lack of knowledge related to their the usage.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
/
Nonprescription Drugs
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ijerph18115530
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