The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA

Objectives To investigate requests for common prescription-only aphrodisiacs across community pharmacies in the Alahsa region of KSA. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected pharmacies in the eastern region of Alahsa, KSA. Self-administered questionnaires were direc...

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Published in:Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences
Main Author: Suleiman A.K.; Khan T.M.; Emeka P.M.; Ahmad S.; Mansoor S.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V. 2016
Online Access:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84992176661&doi=10.1016%2fj.jtumed.2016.05.002&partnerID=40&md5=3b74cef45ae39eb871353ad9ca507545
id 2-s2.0-84992176661
spelling 2-s2.0-84992176661
Suleiman A.K.; Khan T.M.; Emeka P.M.; Ahmad S.; Mansoor S.M.
The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
2016
Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences
11
5
10.1016/j.jtumed.2016.05.002
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84992176661&doi=10.1016%2fj.jtumed.2016.05.002&partnerID=40&md5=3b74cef45ae39eb871353ad9ca507545
Objectives To investigate requests for common prescription-only aphrodisiacs across community pharmacies in the Alahsa region of KSA. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected pharmacies in the eastern region of Alahsa, KSA. Self-administered questionnaires were directly distributed to 73 consenting community pharmacies. Completed questionnaires were coded, reviewed for accuracy and entered into a database in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (Version 19.0; IBM Corporation, Somers, NY). The data were analysed using descriptive analysis. Results The survey response rate was 72.60%. With respect to the availability of aphrodisiacs and sexual supplements, most of the pharmacists disclosed that they had stocks of Viagra and Cialis. The most common men's health complication reported by pharmacists was erectile dysfunction (n = 12, 22.6%), followed by premature ejaculation (n = 4, 7.5%) and low sexual desire (n = 1, 1.9%). Less than half of pharmacists (n = 9, 16.9%) cited Viagra and Cialis as preferred drugs for treating premature ejaculation. Approximately 32 (60.3%) proposed delayed sprays as the first line of action, while 13 (24.5%) considered antidepressants as their first-choice drug. Conclusion The non-prescription dispensing of prescription-only medicines, including sexual enhancement products, is common in KSA. The majority of pharmacists continue to violate pharmaceutical laws without recognizing the potential harm they are causing their communities. Stakeholders should organize training and certification initiatives to ensure that pharmacists are aware of and comply with national pharmaceutical laws. These agencies should also ensure that pharmacies maintain safe and ethical practices. © 2016 The Authors
Elsevier B.V.
16583612
English
Article
All Open Access; Gold Open Access
author Suleiman A.K.; Khan T.M.; Emeka P.M.; Ahmad S.; Mansoor S.M.
spellingShingle Suleiman A.K.; Khan T.M.; Emeka P.M.; Ahmad S.; Mansoor S.M.
The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
author_facet Suleiman A.K.; Khan T.M.; Emeka P.M.; Ahmad S.; Mansoor S.M.
author_sort Suleiman A.K.; Khan T.M.; Emeka P.M.; Ahmad S.; Mansoor S.M.
title The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
title_short The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
title_full The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
title_fullStr The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
title_full_unstemmed The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
title_sort The public purchase of aphrodisiac products without prescriptions in the Alahsa region of KSA
publishDate 2016
container_title Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences
container_volume 11
container_issue 5
doi_str_mv 10.1016/j.jtumed.2016.05.002
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84992176661&doi=10.1016%2fj.jtumed.2016.05.002&partnerID=40&md5=3b74cef45ae39eb871353ad9ca507545
description Objectives To investigate requests for common prescription-only aphrodisiacs across community pharmacies in the Alahsa region of KSA. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected pharmacies in the eastern region of Alahsa, KSA. Self-administered questionnaires were directly distributed to 73 consenting community pharmacies. Completed questionnaires were coded, reviewed for accuracy and entered into a database in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (Version 19.0; IBM Corporation, Somers, NY). The data were analysed using descriptive analysis. Results The survey response rate was 72.60%. With respect to the availability of aphrodisiacs and sexual supplements, most of the pharmacists disclosed that they had stocks of Viagra and Cialis. The most common men's health complication reported by pharmacists was erectile dysfunction (n = 12, 22.6%), followed by premature ejaculation (n = 4, 7.5%) and low sexual desire (n = 1, 1.9%). Less than half of pharmacists (n = 9, 16.9%) cited Viagra and Cialis as preferred drugs for treating premature ejaculation. Approximately 32 (60.3%) proposed delayed sprays as the first line of action, while 13 (24.5%) considered antidepressants as their first-choice drug. Conclusion The non-prescription dispensing of prescription-only medicines, including sexual enhancement products, is common in KSA. The majority of pharmacists continue to violate pharmaceutical laws without recognizing the potential harm they are causing their communities. Stakeholders should organize training and certification initiatives to ensure that pharmacists are aware of and comply with national pharmaceutical laws. These agencies should also ensure that pharmacies maintain safe and ethical practices. © 2016 The Authors
publisher Elsevier B.V.
issn 16583612
language English
format Article
accesstype All Open Access; Gold Open Access
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