Consumption of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines with prolonged oral clearance used by the elderly in the Northern Region of England, with special regard to generic prescribing, dose form and sugars content
W. Baqir et A. Maguire, Consumption of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines with prolonged oral clearance used by the elderly in the Northern Region of England, with special regard to generic prescribing, dose form and sugars content, PUBL HEAL, 114(5), 2000, pp. 367-373
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health
As the longevity and population of elderly people has increased, the use of
regular long-term medication for chronic medical problems has become more
common. Medicines with prolonged oral clearance, for example syrups and che
wable tablets, are commonly used in the elderly, many of whom retain their
natural teeth into old age. These medicines may threaten dental health if t
hey contain acidogenic sugars and are used long-term. As a part of an overa
ll study of medication use in the elderly, three surveys were undertaken to
assess the numbers of prescriptions and quantities of prescribed and 'over
-the-counter' medicines with prolonged oral clearance dispensed during a I
y period (1994), nationally and regionally. Of the 0.51 million litres of l
iquid oral medicines dispensed potentially for regular and long-term use by
the elderly in the Northern Region in 1994, 94% was prescribed in primary
care and 4% was sold over-the-counter from community pharmacies. When the e
ffect of generic prescribing upon the sugars content of these medicines was
considered, 96% of the volume of proprietary liquid oral medicines dispens
ed in primary care was sugars-free compared with 9% of generic liquid oral
medicines. Of the 0.1 million litres of 'over-the-counter' liquid oral medi
cines sold in the Northern Region during 1994, 49% were sugars-free. In con
clusion, although many prolonged oral clearance medicine preparations are s
ugars-free, due to generic prescribing a large proportion of the quantities
dispensed for possible long-term use in the elderly are sugar-containing l
iquid oral medicines. In view of the increasing numbers of dentate elderly
who require long-term medication, this is of some concern. The role of heal
th professionals in raising awareness of the impact of generic prescribing
on the sugars content of medicines is crucial if consumers are to benefit f
rom the sugars-free option.