What Do Young Adults Think about the Safety of Over-the-Counter Analgesics? Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Analgesics are commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) medicines readily available for purchase, sometimes without advice of a health professional. However, analgesics can cause harm even when taken according to dosing recommendations. Young adults may be more vulnerable to harm if they perceive low risk with OTC analgesic use, or struggle to interpret dosing instructions. This study aimed to explore factors affecting how young adults use OTC analgesics and associated perceptions of safety. An online survey was distributed to school-leavers and university students (17 to 25 years), in South-East Queensland, Australia, in the period November–December 2019. Most of the 302 respondents (school-leavers n = 147, university students n = 155) did not use analgesics frequently. School-leavers deferred to parents for analgesic information, while university students preferred the internet. The majority of respondents appeared safety conscious and did not take outside indicated use or instructions. However, a small proportion reported taking analgesics for an inappropriate indication. The difference in preferred source of analgesic information may reflect experience with analgesic use, increasing autonomy or decreased parental influence. Whilst it is encouraging that the majority of young adults appeared safety conscious, greater insight is needed into factors influencing decision making on OTC use, e.g., medicines knowledge, and changes with increasing age.

Associations between over-the-counter analgesics usage and symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents: a network analysis

“…Indeed, including pain nodes in the network revealed substantially stronger associations between OTCA usage and on-label symptoms than between OTCA and off-label symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression). This is in line with previous research on OTCA usage among adolescents [ 50 ].…”

“…A recent meta review identified several knowledge gaps and inconsistencies in findings regarding OTCA usage among children up to the age of 18 [ 54 ]. Adolescents in particular face an increased risk of unintentional misuse of OTCA [ 50 , 55 ]. While it is reassuring that the associations between OTCA usage and pain were markedly larger than the associations with anxiety and depression, there is a need for a deeper understanding of the factors that influence decision-making regarding OTCA usage.…”

“…There could be other variables affecting OTCA usage among adolescents that this study did not control for. For example, it has been suggested that variations in autonomy, inclination for critical risk assessment, and independence from parental influence might contribute to differences in OTCA usage [ 50 , 55 ]. Additionally, socio-demographic variables and differences in health literacy are among the aspects that have been suggested as possible factors related to OTCA usage [ 56 ].…”

Assessment of Preferences in Taking Painkillers among Students of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy: A Pilot Study

“…The frequency of painkiller use in our study was similar to the results obtained by Duyster et al, who surveyed such use among school-leavers and university students aged 17-25 years in Australia [5]. The vast majority of that study's participants took painkillers once a month or less than once a month.…”

Instrumento sobre conhecimento, atitudes e práticas da automedicação em estudantes universitários

“…Outro aspecto abordado no instrumento, refere-se ao autocuidado, conhecimentos e práticas de automedicação em estudantes universitários [9,21,22]. Os principais fatores que podem contribuir para o uso irracional de medicamentos envolvem autodiagnóstico incorreto, escolha equivocada da terapêutica, falha em reconhecer riscos farmacológicos especiais por outras comorbidades ou características do paciente, risco de ocorrência de efeitos adversos raros (porém graves) e falha em reconhecer ou autodiagnosticar contraindicações, interações medicamentosas, alertas de segurança ou precauções de uso [23][24][25].…”