title: Prescribing patterns and safety of mezclitas for respiratory illnesses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prescribing patterns of compound mixtures of cough and cold liquid medications, known as mezclitas, which are prescribed to patients with respiratory illnesses in Puerto Rico. Secondary objectives include assessing the potential safety of these mixtures and patients' perception of them.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a cross sectional study approach, a convenience sample was obtained from five pharmacies in Puerto Rico, from October 2008 to October 2009. Patients were asked to complete a 9-item questionnaire about demographic information, in addition to their mezclita prescription data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 43 years with a range of less than 12 months to 101 years. For children < four years of age, 71% were prescribed cough and cold medications. Sixty-four percent of the prescriptions were given to females. The most prevalent ingredient employed was guaifenesin, which appeared in about 77% of the mezclitas. 'Common cold' was the principal diagnosis for 62% of the prescriptions, of which 75% of these prescriptions contained a corticosteroid and 17% contained a beta2 agonist bronchodilator. The top medical prescribing specialty was general medicine (51%). Thirty-eight percent of hypertensive patients were prescribed a decongestant. The majority of diabetic patients (60%) were dispensed a corticosteroid. Most (74%) patients reported that they had a rapid and good response to their mezclita.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mezclitas were most commonly prescribed for acute symptoms of upper respiratory illness by general physicians despite possible side effects. This study suggests that the prescription patterns of mezclitas do not always consider evidence-based medicine treatment guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Ramón R. Arnau, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamón, Puerto Rico. jmqquevedo@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quevedo
authors.forename: Wallace
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yulfo
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Felici
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rojas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003139:Common Cold / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003371:Cough / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004338:Drug Combinations; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations