Abstract
Objective
 The aim of this work is to determine the usage pattern and knowledge of OTC medicines among Sudanese attending Ophthalmic hospital in Wad-Medani/Sudan.
 Methods
 It is a cross-sectional study in which 500 patients were surveyed.
 Results
 Participants had taken OTC medicines to treat headache, pain, allergy, heart pain, etc. General knowledge of participants is poor. Majority of respondents admitted having no knowledge about the active ingredient, the maximum dose or side effects of paracetamol. One-third of respondents had taken a dose lower or higher than the recommended one. The main reason of taking larger dose was the intensive pain. More than a half (59.0%) of respondent reported using more than one OTC medications when they had multiple symptoms. The results showed that knowledge is associated with the level of education. Regarding the sources of information, two third of respondents (68.8) get information about the non-prescription medicine from the pharmacist. Only 10.4% read information about the OTC medicines from the leaflet in the package.
 Conclusions
 In Sudan, pharmacists play major role in OTC medication safety as the illiteracy comprises high percentage.
Highlights
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that are available without prescription to help individual to self-manage minor ailments
Consumers think that OTC medicines are safe since they are dispensed by pharmacists without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner
Studies conducted in Saudi Arabia indicated that 58.1% of participants did not know the side effects of analgesics and most people lack knowledge about the appropriate dose of them [11,12]
Summary
Participants had taken OTC medicines to treat headache, pain, allergy, heart pain, etc. Majority of respondents admitted having no knowledge about the active ingredient, the maximum dose, or side effects of paracetamol. One-third of respondents had taken a dose lower or higher than the recommended one. The main reason of taking larger dose was the intensive pain. More than a half (59.0%) of respondent reported using more than one OTC medications when they had multiple symptoms. The results showed that knowledge was associated with the level of education. Regarding the sources of information, two-third of respondents (68.8) get information about the non-prescription medicine from the pharmacist. 10.4% read information about the OTC medicines from the leaflet in the package
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