ArticleJournal of substance use2013
Over-the-counter medicine abuse - a review of the literature.
Article in Journal of substance use, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05348538 (Feasibility Study of the Medication Review With Follow up Service for Patients With Polypharmacy in Swiss Community Pharmacies), which is not on this map. Cited by 79 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Feasibility Study of the Medication Review With Follow up Service for Patients With Polypharmacy in Swiss Community Pharmacies
Who cites it
79 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Benzydamine Experience: A Systematic Review of Benzydamine Abuse.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Focus on Over-the-Counter Drugs' Misuse: A Systematic Review on Antihistamines, Cough Medicines, and Decongestants.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of memantine on cough reflex sensitivity: translational studies in guinea pigs and humans.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2015Trial
- The onset of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) with the use of decongestant agents: a European pharmacovigilance analysis.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2026Article
- Clinical Characteristics of Over-The-Counter Drug Misusers in Psychiatric Practice in Japan: Comparison by Type of Drug Misused for the First Time.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2026Article
- Developing a Thai User Interface Terminology for Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms Implementation in Primary Care: Cross-Sectional Content Coverage Analysis.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Article
- Clinical Characteristics of Over-The-Counter Drug Misusers in Psychiatric Practice in Japan: Comparison Between Codeine Misusers and Dextromethorphan Misusers.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2026Article
- The use and misuse of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen) and paracetamol among mothers who presented with their children in health facilities in Enugu, South‒East Nigeria.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The impact of patient age on the pharmacist's recommendation of OTC anti-common cold products before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Unveiling pedagogical effects of blended multimedia and slide-based approaches on students' self-efficacy and performance in over-the-counter medication counseling: an explanatory mixed methods study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- The Feasibility and Impact of Implementing Interventions to Reduce Short-Acting βAdvances in therapy · 2025Review
- Status and influencing factors of OTC medicine use for self-medication in cold and cough: a cross-sectional survey in Japan.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Community pharmacists preparedness to control OTC medication abuse in Saudi Arabia: a nationwide cross-sectional survey-based study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Characteristics of the drinking habits of people who overdose over-the-counter drugs: Insights from a nationwide Japanese survey.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2024Article
- The Effect of Neuropsychiatric Drugs on the Oxidation-Reduction Balance in Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- A Review of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Studies for the Assessment of Over-the-Counter Medicines Used as Recreational Drugs: The Example of Dextromethorphan.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2024Review
- Comparison of patients with benzodiazepine receptor agonist-related psychiatric disorders and over-the-counter drug-related psychiatric disorders before and after the COVID-19 pandemic: Changes in psychosocial characteristics and types of abused drugs.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2024Article
- General pattern of paediatric poisoning in Jordan during 2018-2019.Toxicology reports · 2024Article
- The misuse of codeine containing medicines: Perceptions and behaviours of qualified pharmacy professionals.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2024Article
- Clinical characteristics of over-the-counter (OTC) drug abusers in psychiatric practice in Japan: Comparison of single and multiple OTC product abusers.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2024Article
19 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe sale of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines from pharmacies can help individuals self-manage symptoms. However, some OTC medicines may be abused, with addiction and harms being increasingly recognised. This review describes the current knowledge and understanding of OTC medicine abuse. APPROACH: Comprehensive search of international empirical and review literature between 1990 and 2011.
findingsOTC MEDICINE ABUSE WAS IDENTIFIED IN MANY COUNTRIES AND ALTHOUGH IMPLICATED PRODUCTS VARIED, FIVE KEY GROUPS EMERGED: codeine-based (especially compound analgesic) medicines, cough products (particularly dextromethorphan), sedative antihistamines, decongestants and laxatives. No clear patterns relating to those affected or their experiences were identified and they may represent a hard-to-reach group, which coupled with heterogeneous data, makes estimating the scale of abuse problematic. Associated harms included direct physiological or psychological harm (e.g. opiate addiction), harm from another ingredient (e.g. ibuprofen-related gastric bleeding) and associated social and economic problems. Strategies and interventions included limiting supplies, raising public and professional awareness and using existing services and Internet support groups, although associated evaluations were lacking. Terminological variations were identified.
conclusionsOTC medicine abuse is a recognised problem internationally but is currently incompletely understood. Research is needed to quantify scale of abuse, evaluate interventions and capture individual experiences, to inform policy, regulation and interventions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.