ArticleSaudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society2023
Suspected inappropriate use of prescription and non-prescription drugs among requesting customers: A Saudi community pharmacists' perspective.
Article in Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Pharmacy robberies and occupational safety risks: A national cross-sectional study of community pharmacies.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- Community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and counseling practices regarding muscle-building supplements in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Addressing Gabapentinoids' Access Challenges in Saudi Arabia Under New Prescription Regulations: An Expert View.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
- Medication Safety in Saudi Arabia: Evaluating the Current Situation and Identifying the Areas for Improvement.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Public Awareness of Corticosteroid Use and Side Effects: a Cross-Sectional Study from Jordan.Materia socio-medica · 2025Article
- Community pharmacists' engagement with Raqeeb platform: perceptions and implementation challenges toward controlled substance monitoring in Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Prevalence and patterns of sleep-related melatonin usage among adults in Saudi Arabia: A self-reported cross-sectional national study.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2024Article
- Insight into Current Practices of Community Pharmacists in Topical Corticosteroid Prescribing and Counseling: Cross-Sectional Survey Study from Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- From Eye Care to Hair Growth: Bimatoprost.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Community pharmacists' role towards preventing abuse or misuse and dependence of codeine-containing analgesic medications in Saudi Arabia: a multicenter cross-sectional study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Community Pharmacists' Knowledge, Attitudes and the Perceived Safety and Effectiveness of Melatonin Supplements: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Inappropriate use of medications is a global health concern, and this is attributed to the increased accessibility to prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter) drugs at community pharmacies. We investigated the inappropriate use of prescription and non-prescription drugs in community pharmacies based on the perspectives of the community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey which employed convenient sampling (snowball technique) to recruit participants. Being a licensed practicing pharmacist in a retail chain or an independent community pharmacy was the inclusion criteria. Participants were asked to report the drugs they suspected of being inappropriately used along with the frequency, age and gender of the suspected customers. Pharmacists were also asked to mention the action taken to limit inappropriate use at their pharmacy. Results: A total of 397 community pharmacists completed the questionnaire (86.9 % response rate). 86.4% of the pharmacists suspected some level of abuse or misuse to have occurred. After receiving the questionnaire, the pharmacists reported suspected inappropriate use as encountered during the past three months. Cumulative inappropriate use was reported 1069 times (prescription drugs - 530; non-prescription drugs - 539). The top three inappropriately used prescription-drug categories were gabapentinoids (22.5%), antipsychotics (17.5%) and topical corticosteroids (12.1%). Among non-prescription drugs, cough products (33.2%) ranked first, followed by cold and flu products (29.5%) and first-generation antihistamines (10.8%). The cross tabulations revealed that being in the age range of 26-50 years and being a male was significantly associated (p < 0.001) with abuse/misuse of antipsychotics, antidepressants, gabapentinoids, cough products and first-generation antihistamines. Eye products (Bimatoprost) and skin products abuse/misuse had significant association with female gender (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of our study provide crucial information to the healthcare authorities regarding the medications that can be inappropriately used at the community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia which necessitates implementation of stringent dispensing regulations. Educational programs can be implemented to increase the awareness among public regarding the harmful effects of inappropriate use of drugs.
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