Profile, Patterns of Intake and Perceived Side Effects of Over-The-Counter Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Abstract

One of the ways in which body pain can be relieved is by medications which are readily available. Over-the-counter Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory (OTC-NSAIDs) drugs are the most common for this purpose. However, OTC-NSAIDs are associated with side effects that range from mild to serious. In this context, the study aims to determine the profile of the respondents and their patterns of intake of OTC-NSAIDs and its perceived side effects. A descriptive type of research was utilized to profile the 90 respondents selected through purposive sampling technique. Majority of the respondents were female, with age groups are 40 and above and 40 and below and are mostly employed. The respondents’ intake of the OTC-NSAIDs were according to the most frequent causes namely: headache, backache, body ache and shoulder pain. The study revealed generic mefenamic acid, 250mg as the medication taken for up to two days or after the pains eased to which the duration of intake lasted up to 6 months only, though there were respondents whose duration of intake lasted for 1 year or longer. Although there were side-effects such as drowsiness/sleepiness, abdominal pains due to acidity, dizziness, and mild diarrhea being experienced, most of the respondents depend on the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve the pains they experienced.