Barakat, M.; Akour, A.; Malaeb, D.; Cherri, S.; Al. Safadi, W.; Al. Safadi, A.; Wazaify, M. Perspectives of and Experience toward the Abuse of Antidiarrheal Drug (Loperamide) among Community Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 6400.
Barakat, M.; Akour, A.; Malaeb, D.; Cherri, S.; Al. Safadi, W.; Al. Safadi, A.; Wazaify, M. Perspectives of and Experience toward the Abuse of Antidiarrheal Drug (Loperamide) among Community Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6400.
Barakat, M.; Akour, A.; Malaeb, D.; Cherri, S.; Al. Safadi, W.; Al. Safadi, A.; Wazaify, M. Perspectives of and Experience toward the Abuse of Antidiarrheal Drug (Loperamide) among Community Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 6400.
Barakat, M.; Akour, A.; Malaeb, D.; Cherri, S.; Al. Safadi, W.; Al. Safadi, A.; Wazaify, M. Perspectives of and Experience toward the Abuse of Antidiarrheal Drug (Loperamide) among Community Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6400.
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the ability of community pharmacists to recognize cases of Loperamide abuse at the point of sale, their perspective of and experience towards potential abuse cases. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan, using a self-administered online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 3 main parts: demographics, the experience of pharmacists with abusers' behavior, as well as their perspectives towards Loperamide abuse. Results: A total of 250 community pharmacists completed the survey, 54% (135) of which were female. Almost one-third (33.2%; 83) of the participants reported exposure to suspected cases of Loperamide abuse during the last six months. Pharmacists declared that most of the suspected Loperamide abusers were male (60.2%), of middle-low socioeconomic status (69.9%), and between 20-30 years of age (57.8%). The largest quantity (packs) of Loperamide requested by a single patient was around 33.2±14.9 at once. As reported by pharmacists, the suspected reasons behind Loperamide abuse included 50% seeking euphoria, 17% relieving anxiety, and 33% controlling addiction (weaning off other opioids). The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between male gender (OR=1.2, 95% CI 0.12-1.59), pharmacy location in the center of Jordan (OR=21.2, 95%CI 2.45-183.59), late-night working shift (Shift C, OR=1.29, 95% CI 0.12-2.08) and abuse to Loperamide during the last six months. Conclusion: This study shed light on Loperamide abuse which is highly influenced by different sociodemographic characteristics. Accordingly, close monitoring and thorough tackling of the abuse practices are mandated through an increase in educational and awareness campaigns about proper medication use.
Keywords
abuse; community pharmacists; Jordan; Loperamide
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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