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ABSTRACT
Background: The problem of prescription and nonprescription drug abuse and misuse is well known worldwide. It has been 8 years since this problem has been investigated in Jordan. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the abuse/misuse of drugs sold with or without a prescription in community pharmacies in Jordan in 2014 and to document any changes that may have aroused in the past 8 years. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire based on one used previously in 2006 was sent to a stratified random sample of 320 community pharmacies. Data were managed and analyzed in SPSS. Results: A total of 290 questionnaires were completed (response rate = 92.4%). The pharmacists named 727 nonprescription and 372 prescription drugs as being suspected of abuse, each classified into 6 categories. New products have appeared on the list such as: ophthalmic drops (n = 39, 13.4%) and the anti-epileptic; Lyrica (pregabalin; n = 19, 6.5%). Other drugs previously on the 2008 list like misoprostol have retracted in 2014 (from 7.1% to 1.3%). Conclusion: Patterns of suspected prescription and nonprescription drug abuse/misuse have slightly changed in Jordan over time, with new drugs emerging and previous ones disappearing from the list.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the contribution of the community pharmacists and of all those who took part in the consultations for this project.