KNOWLEDGEABLE NON-COMPLIANCE WITH PRESCRIBED DRUGS IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS—A STUDY WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO NON-STEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY AND ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS

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Abstract
Knowledgeable non-compliance with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antidepressant drugs was investigated in a community-based sample of elderly people. Everyone 70 years and over living in a defined area and taking one of the above drugs, and at least one other prophylactic or symptomatic drug, was studied. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antidepressant drugs are commonly regarded as symptomatic only and knowledgeable non-compliance is consequently high. They are also regarded as less important than drugs which produce no immediate relief of symptoms but which the patient recognizes as needing to be taken regularly to maintain health. In our study, compliance with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antidepressant drugs was highest in those who were compliant with a prophylactic drug and were also taking a symptomatic drug. The greater the number of tablets the patient was taking the more likely he or she was to be compliant with the NSAID. Compliance with NSAIDs and antidepressant drugs requires clear label instructions and the patient knowing the purpose of the medication.

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