A review of over-the-counter drug therapy

Abstract

The authors review the extent of the use of nonprescription drugs as well as possible variables influencing such consumption. Various studies indicate that age, sex, personality characteristics, perceptions of health status, socioeconomic factors, parental example, and pharmacists all play parts in determining over-the-counter (OTC) drug utilization. Several sources express concern about the inaccessibility of accurate OTC drug information to the consumer. Indeed, even the FDA has occasional difficulty obtaining reliable facts on both the numbers and formulae of such products. Several studies indicate that consumers acquire information about their home remedies through advertising, friends and relatives, physicians, pharmacists, and product labels. By far the most influential of these is advertising, and much concern has been voiced over consumers' unquestioning faith in drug ads. Examples are cited of deceptive, inaccurate, and unfair advertising practices used by some OTC drug manufacturers. The pros and cons of the “drug-oriented society” theory are discussed, including an analysis of its underlying origins. Testing of the safety and efficacy of non-rescription remedies has proved to be controversial, especially when considering the ramifications of the placebo effect. Different surveys report widespread misuse of OTCs by consumers through overuse, taking several drugs concurrently, and using home remedies to treat potentially serious diseases.

The fact that life is a multi-faceted process, that pain, sorrow, discouragement, and tension are as much a part of life as joy, peace, and pleasure, has been lost on many of the older generation as well as on the adolescents of today. The fact that a sleepless night may produce an important insight into one's self, or the nature of the universe, or that several days of depression can be a growth-inducing experience, seems to be lost on too many of us.

—G.K. Piorkowski