Sánchez-Sánchez, EduardoFernández-Cerezo, Fátima LucíaDíaz-Jimenez, JaraRosety-Rodriguez, ManuelDíaz, Antonio JesúsOrdonez, Francisco JavierRosety, Miguel ÁngelRosety, Ignacio2022-11-252022-11-252021-05-21Sánchez-Sánchez E, Fernández-Cerezo FL, Díaz-Jimenez J, Rosety-Rodriguez M, Díaz AJ, Ordonez FJ, et al. Consumption of over-the-Counter Drugs: Prevalence and Type of Drugs. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 21;18(11):5530.1661-7827http://hdl.handle.net/10668/4411Recently, there has been an increase in the use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The consumption of these medicines can be unsafe, as incorrect self-diagnosis or the ingestion of inappropriate doses can lead to side effects and the occurrence of adverse reactions and drug-drug interactions. A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out, targeting the entire Spanish population by using an online questionnaire. The results showed that 78.9% of the subjects had previously taken or were currently taking OTC drugs. This consumption decreased as the age of the subjects increased, with a prevalence of 36.4% of subjects aged ≥ 71 taking OTC drugs. Analgesics were the most consumed OTC drugs (49.1%) especially in women, youngsters with non-formal educational qualifications, and individuals of a low-medium socioeconomic level residing in urban areas. Measures should be implemented to optimize the safe use of OTC drugs in order to avoid the occurrence of secondary events associated with the lack of knowledge related to their the usage.enAtribución 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Nonprescription drugsOTC drugsOTC medicationOver-the-counter medicinesSelf-careSelf-medicationAnalgesicsSocioeconomic statusMedicamentos sin prescripciónAutocuidadoAutomedicaciónAnalgésicosClase socialMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Chemical Actions and Uses::Pharmacologic Actions::Physiological Effects of Drugs::Peripheral Nervous System Agents::Sensory System Agents::AnalgesicsMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Investigative Techniques::Epidemiologic Methods::Epidemiologic Study Characteristics as Topic::Epidemiologic Studies::Cross-Sectional StudiesMedical Subject Headings::Check Tags::FemaleMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::HumansMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Investigative Techniques::Epidemiologic Methods::Data Collection::Vital Statistics::Morbidity::PrevalenceMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Therapeutics::Drug Therapy::Self MedicationDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Pharmaceutical Preparations::Nonprescription DrugsMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Investigative Techniques::Epidemiologic Methods::Data Collection::QuestionnairesMedical Subject Headings::Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena::Social Sciences::Sociology::Socioeconomic FactorsMedical Subject Headings::Phenomena and Processes::Physiological Phenomena::Pharmacological Phenomena::Pharmacological Processes::Drug Interactionsresearch article34064096open access10.3390/ijerph181155301660-4601PMC8196755