1Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences, Mathuranthakam, Taluk, Tamil Nadu
2III-MBBS Student, Department of Forensic Medicine, Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences, Mathuranthakam, Taluk, Tamil Nadu
3Professor and Head, Department of Forensic Medicine, Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences, Mathuranthakam, Taluk, Tamil Nadu
4Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences, Mathuranthakam, Taluk, Tamil Nadu
Online published on 8 July, 2016.
The drugs which can be obtained without doctor's prescription are called Over-The-Counter (OTC) drugs. In India, the phrase ‘Over-The-Counter drugs’ has no legal recognition, so all the drugs not included in the list of ‘prescription drugs’ are considered as non-prescription drugs or OTC drugs. This study was conducted to find the prevalence of OTC drug usage among patients in a rural area Attending Medical College out-patient (OP), common symptoms or ailments for which they use OTC drugs, reasons for opting OTC drugs and adverse effects suffered after using OTC drugs. A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted among 200 patients Attending OP of Medical College Hospital in a rural area in Tamil Nadu. In our study, 84% have used OTC medications atleast once which indicates very high prevalence. OTC drug usage was most prevalent among the young adults with a mean age of 34 years. Fever (69%), cough/cold (60%), headache (51%) and body pain (33%) were the most common problems for which people seek OTC medications. Majority (61%) of the people chose OTC drugs to avoid consulting fee for a doctor. 57.5% people told a prescription is not needed to acquire a drug from the pharmacy. In India amendments in Pharmacy acts, Stringent Rules and Regulation on sale of drugs by pharmacies and medical shops may help to curb sale of OTC drugs.
Over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, drug resistance, drug addiction
