Medicine concerns
August 4, 2010
EIGHTY percent of Australians
take their medicines incorrectly,
according to a new study of 2,511
Australians conducted this year by
StollzNow and published by Pfizer.
According to the report’s findings
around 38% of Aussies “at some
stage” chose not to have their
prescription filled, citing either the
cost of medication (24%), fear of
dependence on medication (20%)
and mistrust of diagnosis (10%) as
the key reasons for their decision.
In addition to this, the research
also found that around 57% of
Aussies had at one time chosen not
to finish their course of medication
because they “got better”, whilst
32% said they “forgot” to take their
prescribed medication, 14% did not
take their meds because they
believed they weren’t working and
17% said they didn’t finish their
medication course because they
simply “couldn’t be bothered”.
These figures are of particular
concern given that the 53% of
‘Medicine Compliance Survey’
respondents said they took prescription
medicines on a long-term basis.
Further alarming trends
unearthed in the survey included
the fact that almost 80% of
respondents said that they have in
some way not taken their medicine
properly, with 23% admitting to
mixing meds with alcohol, 41%
saying they mix and match their
doses ad hoc and 16% telling
researchers they take medicine past
its expiry date.
Of note is the fact that 10% of
survey participants had bypassed
official channels altogether, and
purchased medication via an
overseas online pharmacy, whilst
8% said they knew someone who
had to seek medical attention after
consuming drugs bought online.
“All medicines involve some
risks,” said Dr Bill Ketelbey, Country
Medical Director at Pfizer.
“However consuming prescribed
medicine in the way your doctor has
advised offers the greatest benefits
for our health.
“Anyone who has concerns about
their prescribed medicine should
discuss these with their doctor or
pharmacist.
“The important thing is to avoid
taking matters into your own hands.
“Personal health and well-being
is too important to merit a do-ityourself
approach,” Ketelbey added.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 04 Aug 10To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 04 Aug 10
