Jordanian community pharmacists’ experience regarding prescription and nonprescription drug abuse and misuse in Jordan – An update

Abstract

Background: The problem of prescription and nonprescription drug abuse and misuse is well known worldwide. It has been 8 years since this problem has been investigated in Jordan. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the abuse/misuse of drugs sold with or without a prescription in community pharmacies in Jordan in 2014 and to document any changes that may have aroused in the past 8 years. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire based on one used previously in 2006 was sent to a stratified random sample of 320 community pharmacies. Data were managed and analyzed in SPSS. Results: A total of 290 questionnaires were completed (response rate = 92.4%). The pharmacists named 727 nonprescription and 372 prescription drugs as being suspected of abuse, each classified into 6 categories. New products have appeared on the list such as: ophthalmic drops (n = 39, 13.4%) and the anti-epileptic; Lyrica (pregabalin; n = 19, 6.5%). Other drugs previously on the 2008 list like misoprostol have retracted in 2014 (from 7.1% to 1.3%). Conclusion: Patterns of suspected prescription and nonprescription drug abuse/misuse have slightly changed in Jordan over time, with new drugs emerging and previous ones disappearing from the list.