Consumption of over-the-Counter Drugs: Prevalence and Type of Drugs

Eduardo Sánchez-Sánchez, Fátima Lucía Fernández-Cerezo, Jara Díaz-Jimenez, Manuel Rosety-Rodriguez, Antonio Jesús Díaz, Francisco Javier Ordonez, Miguel Ángel Rosety and Ignacio Rosety
Additional contact information
Eduardo Sánchez-Sánchez: Internal Medicine Department, Punta de Europa Hospital, Algeciras, 11207 Cádiz, Spain
Fátima Lucía Fernández-Cerezo: Internal Medicine Department, Punta de Europa Hospital, Algeciras, 11207 Cádiz, Spain
Jara Díaz-Jimenez: Doctoral School of the University of Cádiz (EDUCA), Campus Cádiz, Edificio Hospital Real (Primera Planta), Plaza Falla 8, 11003 Cádiz, Spain
Manuel Rosety-Rodriguez: Medicine Department, School of Medicine, University of Cádiz, Plaza Fragela s/n, 11003 Cadiz, Spain
Antonio Jesús Díaz: Medicine Department, School of Nursing, University of Cadiz, Plaza Fragela s/n, 11003 Cadiz, Spain
Francisco Javier Ordonez: Human Anatomy Department, School of Medicine, University of Cádiz, Plaza Fragela s/n, 11003 Cadiz, Spain
Miguel Ángel Rosety: Move-It Research Group, Biomedical Research and Innovation Insitute of Cadiz, Puerta del Mar University Hospital, University of Cádiz, Plaza Fragela s/n, 11003 Cadiz, Spain
Ignacio Rosety: Human Anatomy Department, School of Medicine, University of Cádiz, Plaza Fragela s/n, 11003 Cadiz, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-12

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: nonprescription drugs; OTC drugs; OTC medication; over-the-counter medicines; self-care; self-medication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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