title: Over-the-counter medicines and the elderly.
abstract: Sales of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are rising, and will continue to rise as more products are reclassified from prescription-only status to OTC medicines (either pharmacy-only or general sales list). Patients and doctors often omit discussion of OTC medicines when giving or taking a medication history. This has serious potential for identifying adverse drug reactions and drug-drug interactions, which are more common in older people. Therefore, medication histories should include documentation of any OTC medicines taken.
authors.affiliation: Northwick Park Hospital. nina.barnett@bigfoot.com
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Denham
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Francis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs