Abstract
The present study examined the pattern of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in relation to the source of advice. Ten community pharmacies in the United Arab Emirates were randomly selected and patients visiting these sites were interviewed using a standard questionnaire. The interview covered “source of advice,” “name of medicine,” “type of disease,” “duration of disease,” and “knowledge of adverse effects and drug interactions.” After a month the patients were contacted. On average 22.7% of prescriptions contained NSAIDs and 17.5% of visits were for these drugs. Advice from physicians was given to 33.3%, from pharmacists 32.5%, from friends 18.8%, and 15.4% depended on themselves. Other medicines were taken by 14.5% and 12% suffered from gastrointestinal upsets. Paracetamol followed by ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most frequently utilized agents. Headache, fever, and musculoskeletal pain were the common complaints. A month later, 50.7% of the patients continued taking their medications. This study revealed an association between the source of advice and knowledge of side effects. It is argued that, although self-care is important, professional advice in its support is essential since unsupervised self-medication exposes the patient to harmful consequences.
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