Pharmacy Daily | Ignorance on NSAIDs

A PRESENTATION at this week’s National Medicines Symposium (NMS 2014) in Brisbane has highlighted the dangers of people taking common medicines such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) without awareness of the potential risks or harms. University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine senior lecturer Dr Judy Mullan said that many Australians purchased overthe- counter NSAIDs as common pain relief medicines. She said if taken appropriately they could be relatively safe medicines, however if taken incorrectly, they could cause severe adverse medical events. “We surveyed customers purchasing over-the-counter NSAIDs, containing the active ingredient ibuprofen, from seven different community pharmacies in NSW.” Mullan conducted the research in collaboration with university colleagues. Out of the 263 people surveyed, 20% could not identify the correct active ingredient and more than a third were unaware of the recommended maximum daily dose. Mullan said pharmacists needed to play more of an active role in educating consumers about the potential for NSAID-related adverse effects at the point of sale.

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