Nonprescription

IMPORTANCE: Use of nonprescribed weight-loss products in adolescents is a public health concern that is associated with negative physical and psychological consequences. However, the prevalence of nonprescribed weight-loss product use in adolescents is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the global prevalence of nonprescription weight-loss product use in children and adolescents. DATA SOURCES: Four databases, including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health), and EMBASE, were searched for quantitative studies that reported prevalence data on use of nonprescription weight-loss products with no restrictions on publication date...

BACKGROUND: Safety issues are detected in about one third of prescription drugs in the years following regulatory agency approval. Older adults, especially those with chronic kidney disease, are at particular risk of adverse reactions to prescription drugs. This protocol describes a new approach that may identify credible drug-safety signals more efficiently using administrative health care data. OBJECTIVE: To use high-throughput computing and automation to conduct 700+ drug-safety cohort studies in older adults in Ontario, Canada...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the interaction of opiate misuse and marijuana use frequency is associated with behavioral health outcomes. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand seven hundred fifty participants enrolled in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems who completed the Pain Survey and had complete opioid use and marijuana use information. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, secondary analysis from a multisite observational cohort...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

A survey on antibiotic literacy in terms of the use and abuse of antibiotics to track and understand antibiotic consumption is crucial to optimize the use of antibiotics and minimizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Purposive random sampling, using the snow-ball questionnaire technique, was adopted to ensure that the respondents distributed across India, coming from rural and urban settings, were adolescents as well as adults and had completed at least the higher secondary school level of education. Respondents were divided into five subcategories...

INTRODUCTION: Changes in the commercialization of nonprescription drugs have made large quantities of paracetamol available to individuals, resulting in larger overdoses than previously observed. Although most patients with paracetamol overdose can be managed with acetylcysteine, patients with a massive overdose may become critically ill earlier and fail standard antidotal therapy. Several strategies are proposed for the management of these patients, including using increased doses of acetylcysteine, extracorporeal removal, and fomepizole...

BACKGROUND: Caregivers often have difficulty administering pediatric medications which frequently results in increased dosing error risk. OBJECTIVE: We examined health literacy characteristics of pediatric over-the-counter (OTC) oral suspension acetaminophen and ibuprofen instructional materials and dosing instruments. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive analysis of dosing instructions, measuring syringe characteristics, and internet-based resources among a sample of OTC pediatric oral suspension acetaminophen and ibuprofen products ( n  = 14)...

Importance: Opioid misuse/abuse is a pervasive problem in the United States, and the growing use of fentanyl-contaminated products is adding fuel to the opioid crisis. Objective: To review the rising prevalence of nonprescription fentanyl in counterfeit oxycodone, paying specific attention to oxycodone for cost analysis. Evidence Review: A literature search was performed using 3 databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, and Clinical Key) to identify English-language articles published from January 2010 to October 2022...

OBJECTIVE: Nonprescribed use of drugs is a clinical and public health challenge fueled by diversion of controlled opioids like buprenorphine. In this study, we report the nonprescription use of buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone for the first time in India. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study utilizing semistructured interviews. SETTING: A tertiary care addictive disorder treatment center in India, which provides inpatient and outpatient medically oriented care that includes agonist treatment (buprenorphine) or detoxification and antagonist treatment (naltrexone)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The prevalence of stress- and anxiety-related disorders is increasing along with widespread demand for anxiolytics. Due to drug supply shortages and access restrictions, nonprescription remedies have gained popularity. In addition, the marketing of herbals and botanicals as low-cost and all-natural products with fewer access restrictions has increased their use. The current article explores the evidence to provide an overview of the current understanding of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ), an anxiolytic and apoptogenic herb with therapeutic and health-promoting potentials to help the body reduce stress and maintain a homeostatic state...

INTRODUCTION: Drug-induced liver injury can be challenging to diagnose, as it can develop following the use of many prescription and nonprescription medications, herbals, and dietary supplements. Food products may not be routinely considered as a potential cause of hepatotoxicity. We describe the clinical features of two cases of acute liver injury following consumption of a smoothie product. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Two patients independently presented to the hospital with epigastric pain and acute liver injury...

BACKGROUND: Self-medication is defined as the selection of medicines by individuals to treat self-diagnosed ophthalmic symptoms without consultation of healthcare professionals. Topical steroids can produce severe eye-threatening complications, including the elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) with possible development of glaucoma and infrequent optic nerve damage. In recent times, many over-the-counter (OTC) ophthalmic preparations are possible without a prescription. There are a lot of concerns about the safety of long-term use of nonprescription ophthalmic drugs, which may lead to a variety of serious ocular complications...

BACKGROUND: Self-medication is the practice of taking medicines without a physician's advice, and it has become more common in developing nations. The root cause could be anything from a shortage of physicians to financial factors. However, most people are not aware of the ill effects and drug reactions brought on by self-medication. This research aimed to find out the prevalence, frequency, common complaints, primary sources, and regular medicines utilized for self-medication, which are the goal of this study...

INTRODUCTION: Acne is a common, complex, multifactorial inflammatory skin disease associated with epidermal barrier dysfunction. Beginning in childhood, acne affects many adolescents and adults. Acne is associated with lower self-esteem, anxiety, and depression and may cause scars and pigmentary sequelae. The review explores the relationships between acne and the skin barrier function and discusses nuances in the prevention, treatment, and maintenance of acne and its impact on the skin barrier...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Objectives: Portugal liberalised the over-the-counter drugs market in 2005 and provides universal healthcare coverage in a mainly Beveridge-type health system. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare to change how services were delivered, especially increasing remote consultations in primary care. This analysis aims to find the drivers for taking non-prescribed drugs during the pandemic in Portugal. Specifically, it seeks to understand the role of taking prescribed drugs and attending remote medical appointments in the self-medication decision...

INTRODUCTION: Patient values and preferences (PVP) are among multiple sources of information panelists synthesize when developing clinical practice guidelines (CPG). Patient and public involvement (PPI) can be critical for learning PVP; however, the methodology for engaging patients in CPG development is lacking. Deliberative engagement is effective for obtaining public views on complex topics that require people to consider ethics, values, and competing perspectives. OBJECTIVE: Elicit comprehensive understanding of PVP concerning oral analgesics for managing acute dental pain consecutive to toothache and simple and surgical dental extractions, with consideration of associated outcomes, both desirable and undesirable...