title: Non-medical use of prescription drugs in Bangalore, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-medical prescription drug use is an ongoing problem in India; however, there is paucity of literature in the Indian population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the present study is to explore the non-medical use of prescription medicines in urban Bangalore, South India (N = 717).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited using a mall-intercept approach, wherein they were intercepted in 5 randomly selected shopping malls, and interviewed on their use of prescription medicines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the participants was 28 years (S.D. 5). The non-medical use of different prescription medicine classes over the past 12 months was as follows: anti-inflammatories and analgesics (26%), opioids (17%), antibiotics (13%), and sedatives (12%). The majority reported "use without prescription," while "use in ways other than as prescribed" was also reported. In all cases, chemist shops were the main source of obtaining the drugs non-medically. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, non-medical use was found to be significantly associated with participants' baseline characteristics like gender, education, current employment status, and marital status. Sixty-five percent stated that although "doctor's prescription is not required for common complaints, we can decide ourselves," while 60% stated, "it's okay to deviate from a prescription as needed." One hundred percent said that "using prescription medicines is more socially acceptable, and safer, compared to alcohol or illicit drugs."
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings underscore the need for considering various contextual factors in tailoring preventive interventions for reducing non-medical use of prescription drugs.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Prasanthi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nattala
authors.forename: Pratima
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: Thennarasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kandavel
authors.forename: Linda B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Cottler