Abuse and Misuse of Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs from Community Pharmacies in Aden City—Yemen

ABSTRACT

Background: The abuse and misuse of prescription and nonprescription or the so-called Over–The–Counter (OTC) drugs is a serious and growing public health problem worldwide. The increased availability of these drugs has contributed to a dramatic rise of inappropriate use. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate abuse/misuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs in community pharmacies in Aden city—Yemen and to gather information about suspected drug abusers in the community. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire randomly distributed to 200 community pharmacies (June–September 2013). Data were coded and analyzed using SPSS Results: A total of 170 pharmacists completed the questionnaire (85.0% response rate), more than half of which (57.7%) suspected drug abuse/misuse in their pharmacies. The top four suspected medications of abuse were Alprazolam, Ketoprofen, Tramadol, and antibiotics. Most participating pharmacists in this study (83.3%) noticed an increasing pattern of abuse/misuse. The majority of suspects of prescription and non-prescription drug abuse (64.1%) were either chewing Khat or carrying it while buying the drug from the pharmacists. Conclusion: Abuse/misuse of prescription and nonprescription drugs is present in community pharmacies in Aden and it is linked to the recreational use of Khat. Current methods for controlling the problem are ineffective, and better methods should be developed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ebtesam A. Abood

Ebtesam A. Abood is a Lecturer at the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Yemen. She obtained her MSc. Clinical Pharmacy degree from The University of Jordan in August 2014 and a PhD scholar at Charite' University in Berlin/Germany sponsored by DAAD (German Academic exchange service; September 2016). Ebtesam has experience as a Research Assistant at The University of Jordan, lecturer at the faculty of pharmacy, Aden University, Yemen, and a trainer at Aden Educating Center Against Drugs Addiction. Her main research interests are: drugs of misuse and abuse, khat and drug abuse in Yemen, adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance and pharmacy practice and patient education in Yemen.

Mayyada Wazaify

Mayyada Wazaify is a Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan since 2004. She has a PhD in Pharmacy Practice (December 2003) from Queen's University of Belfast, UK, in the area of “Appropriate Use of Over-The-Counter (OTC) drugs.” She has published more than 35 papers targeting the promotion of appropriate use of medicines and the prevention of prescription and OTC drug misuse/abuse. Prof. Wazaify was appointed as a visiting lecturer at The University of Bath/UK (2012–2015), obtained The University of Jordan's “Distinguished Researcher” Award for 2 consecutive years (2011 and 2012) and The “Best Scientific Research Award” of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar in February 2013.