title: Frequency of using non-prescribed medication in Majmaah city, Saudi Arabia -- A cross sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of using non-prescribed medication in a Saudi Arabian city.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional study was conducted in Majmaah city, Saudi Arabia, from January to May 2014, and comprised adults of either gender. For data collection, a questionnaire was designed and its reliability was checked by Cronbach Alpha. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 390 respondents 276(70.8%) were males, while 114(29.2%) were females. The overall mean age was 29.90±11.56 years (range: 18-83 years). Of the total, 363(93.1%) were using non-prescribed medication; and 148(37.9%) said they were using the drugs as they had experienced similar symptoms before and they knew the treatment. Public pharmacies were the main source for obtaining non-prescribed medication for 163(41.8%) subjects. Gender and use of non-prescribed medication was significantly associated (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of using non-prescribed medication in Majmaah city was high. Pain-killers, antibiotics and antipyretics were the most used non-prescribed medications. Male respondents used non-prescribed medication more than the females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alzahrani
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Turki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alhindi
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Aqeel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almutairi
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mubarak
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aldajani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Waqas
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sami
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058633:Antipyretics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D058633:Antipyretics
keywords: Non-prescribed medication, Saudi population, Self-medication, Majmaah community.