Trends of over-the-counter analgesic use in lithuania

Trends of over-the-Counter Analgesic Use in Lithuania Aim of the paper. To identify the tendencies related to the usage of over-the-counter analgesics. Objectives. 1. To analyse scientific and professional literature and describe the types of pain. 2. To investigate the prevailing usage of over-the-counter analgesic. 3. To determine the habits related to the usage of over-the-counter analgesic and the aspects of product choice. 4. To assess the influence of a pharmacist in choosing over-the-counter analgesic. Research method. Theoretical analysis The theorical part reviews the scientific literature on over-the-counter painkillers consumption trends in various countries. Empirical method. The study used a quantitative research method – questionnaire, which applied standardized anonymous questionnaire method. The survey obtained sample of 315 Lithuanian respondents who visited community pharmacies and 87 pharmacy technicians. Research ensures questionnaire representativeness. Results. Customers who purchased over-the-counter painkillers marked that they most frequently suffer from headaches (26.7%). It was determined that the majority of seniors (61 and older) with higher education, regardless of the gender, consult a physician or a pharmacist about the pains, and younger (21-40 years old) people with secondary education, both men and women, tend towards self-treatment. The respondents relieve the pain by different means: 56.2% take oral medications (tablets, capsules , etc.), and 37.1% use local effect medications (ointments, gels, bandages). Respondents who take oral medical preparations for pain relief tend to use ibuprofen. More than half of the respondents (52.4%) tend to use painkillers according to their own judgement, also their choice is influenced by advertising, online information or advice from friends or relatives. However, approximately 68.6% of the respondents tend to consult a pharmacist about the usage of over-the-counter painkillers, this indicates that a pharmacy specialist has influence in choosing painkillers. Conclusions. 1. Dominating type of pain by its duration – acute (51,4 % of respondents) and chronic (28,6 % of respondents), for localization - the head (26,7 % of respondents), joints (21 % of respondents), back (19 % of respondents). 2. Most frequently used over-the-counter painkillers: ibuprofen tablets (58,1 % usage), paracetamol tablets (18,1 % usage), diclofenac gel (27,6 % usage). 3. The choice of over-the-counter painkillers is influenced by advertising, online information, advice from friends or relatives, the price and the quality also play an important role. 4. Majority of the respondents (68, 6 %) would consult with a pharmacist regarding the choice of over-the-counter painkillers