The over-the-counter sale of antibiotics both encourages self-medication and the storage of leftover antimicrobials. In a study carried out in a Finnish community living in Spain, Väänänen et al found that antibiotics, which are considered as prescription-only medicines in Finland, were purchased by 41% of the immigrants who admitted having taken an antibiotic in the previous 6 months. Individuals migrating from areas where the sale of antibiotics without prescription is forbidden to places where this practice is still available acquire the habit of obtaining the antibacterials at the pharmacies instead of making an appointment at the GP’s practice. Individuals get accustomed to going directly to pharmacies and bypassing their GPs. Moreover, this percentage was over 80% when the actress simulated an uncomplicated UTI, mimicking a similar previous study carried out in 2007. In Spain in 2014, with the use of a mystery shopper who presented at community pharmacies requesting an antibiotic for one of three different clinical scenarios, our group observed that these drugs were sold in 54.1% of the pharmacies without a medical prescription. Similarly, over-the-counter sale of antibiotics is reportedly common in such countries. Southern European countries usually rank at the top in terms of the consumption of antibiotics. The link between this practice and antibiotic overconsumption is clearly established. Sale of antibiotics without prescription is hazardous for several reasons:ġ.
This could only be true for these women who have recurrent uncomplicated UTIs as long as the antibiotics sold are effective and have a narrow spectrum. Kyle Knox states that women should be able to get antibiotics for urinary tract infections (UTI) without a prescription in the UK since most need to be treated with these drugs and this strategy could avoid unnecessary visits to the GPs.
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