scholarly journals Analysis of Monacolins and Berberine in Food Supplements for Lipid Control: An Overview of Products Sold on the Italian Market

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2222
Author(s):  
Sara Marcheluzzo ◽  
Marta Faggian ◽  
Mirella Zancato ◽  
Gregorio Peron
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Profile ◽  
Red Yeast Rice ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Medical Surveillance ◽  
Medical Prescription ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Italian Market ◽  
Lipid Control ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines

The use of dietary supplements for the prevention and management of diseases associated with excess of lipids is spreading in Western countries. Supplements containing red yeast rice (RYR) and extracts from Berberis species, characterized, respectively, by the active compounds monacolin K (MK) and berberine (BBR), are sold in pharmacies as over the counter medicines (OTC) and in regular markets without the need of medical prescription and medical surveillance. However, MK is chemically identical to lovastatin, a drug commonly used to treat hypercholesterolemia, and is characterized by the same mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic profile and toxicity. On the other hand, although BBR-containing supplements are considered to be well-tolerated and safe, they frequently show poor standardization of active ingredients, and this could lead to lack of effects. In this work, with the aim to give an overview on the potency of RYR- and BBR-containing supplements available on the Italian market, we analyzed a pool of supplements bought from both local pharmacies and markets. Results confirm the data already published by other authors, showing scarce standardization of bioactives and discrepancy between the doses of bioactives reported by the manufacturers and the amounts resulting from analysis of the same products. Overall, our data represent a further proof that a strict legislation regulating the production and marketing of dietary supplements and a close monitoring of these products by food and drug regulatory organs is mandatory.

scholarly journals Concomitant Use of Dietary Supplements and Medicines Among Preschool and School-Aged Children in Japan

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etsuko Kobayashi ◽  
Yoko Sato ◽  
Chiharu Nishijima ◽  
Tsuyoshi Chiba
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Physician Consultation ◽  
Dietary Supplement Use ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines

Dietary supplement use is widespread amongst the general population including in children and adolescents. The ingredients in dietary supplements can interact with medicines when patients take them concomitantly. However, the prevalence of the concomitant use of dietary supplements and medicines in Japan among children remains unclear. To clarify this issue, a nationwide internet survey was administered to 55,038 mothers (25 to 60 years old) of preschool- or school-aged children in Japan. Among them, 7.6% currently provide dietary supplements and 3.2% concomitantly provide dietary supplements and prescription or over-the-counter medicines to their children. The prevalence of concomitant use increased with the children’s grade. Among 1057 mothers with 1154 children who were concomitantly using dietary supplements and medicines, 69.1% provided dietary supplements without physician consultation because they considered dietary supplements as only foods and therefore safe. Although the purpose of the use and types of dietary supplement differed between boys and girls, the most popular product was probiotics in both boys and girls. Among concomitant users, 8.3% of mothers gave dietary supplements for treatment of diseases and 4.9% mothers recognized the adverse events of dietary supplements in their child. The findings of this study suggest that mothers’ knowledge about the risk of using dietary supplement with medicines is insufficient. Parental education about the safety of dietary supplements and potential risk of drug–supplement interaction is needed.

Legal Regulation of Treatment for Depression

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Series
Keyword(s):  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Mental Capacity ◽  
Medicinal Products ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Controlled Drugs ◽  
Treatment Of Depression ◽  
Mental Capacity Act 2005 ◽  
Incapacitated Patients ◽  
Mental Capacity Act ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines

This chapter reviews the legal regulation of treatment of depression as it exists in England and Wales, where medicinal products are regulated largely by the Medicines Act 1988 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The Medicines Act divides medicinal products into pharmacy only medicines, which can only be purchased under the supervision of a pharmacist, over-the-counter medicines, and prescription only medicines. The Misuse of Drugs Act is concerned with controlled drugs. These are divided into three classes according to their perceived degree of harmfulness. This chapter considers treatment with valid consent and two pieces of legislation that govern people who are sufficiently ill and need to be admitted to hospital: the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). It also discusses treatment of mentally incapacitated patients and the issue of liberty regarding the admission of a compliant but incapacitated patient to hospital. Finally, it looks at three types of non-medical prescribing in England, issued by independent prescribers, supplementary prescribers, and community practitioners.

Factors that influence Italian consumers’ understanding of over-the-counter medicines and risk perception

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Calamusa ◽  
Alessandra Di Marzio ◽  
Renza Cristofani ◽  
Paola Arrighetti ◽  
Vincenzo Santaniello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines

Use of over-the-counter medicines for young children in Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 46 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misel Trajanovska ◽  
Elizabeth Manias ◽  
Noel Cranswick ◽  
Linda Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines

scholarly journals Prevalence of methylphenidate use without medical prescription among university students: a review of the current reality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Melo Calixto ◽  
Juliana Ferreira Leal ◽  
Julyanna Lucas Nascimento ◽  
Jean Colacite
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Prescription ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Search Tool ◽  
Visual Disturbances ◽  
Current Reality

Introduction: Methylphenidate is a neuropsychotropic agent, indicated for the treatment of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, and is commonly prescribed for school and university age patients. The growing prescription of the drug and the misuse of methylphenidate by academics without a diagnosis of ADHD and / or narcolepsy have raised concerns on the part of medical societies of psychiatry. The over-the-counter use of this substance causes potential dependence and adverse effects such as hallucinations, anxiety, dry mouth and visual disturbances. Unfortunately, there is a precarious amount of epidemiological data on the use of methylphenidate without prescription by university students. In view of this reality. Objectives: The present study proposed to review the assessment of the prevalence of methylphenidate consumption without medical prescription in university environments worldwide, with sources published between 2016-2021. Methods: To perform this research, the PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/) and Scielo (https://www.scielo.org/) databases were used as a search tool, using the Key words “non-medical”, “methylphenidate” and “university students”. Results: So far, 10 articles related to the study (carried out in China, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States) have been identified, with 8 articles obtained from PubMed and 2 articles acquired from Scielo. The selected articles show that in 6 of these articles the groups of academics studied were undergraduate and graduate students in general areas, and 4 articles in medical students. The studies present cases of students who confirmed the use of methylphenidate without a prescription, with the justification that it improves academic performance even in healthy students. Conclusion: Therefore, further studies on epidemiology and effects on academic performance with the improper consumption of this drug are recommended.

scholarly journals Certified food dyes in over the counter medicines and supplements marketed for children and pregnant women

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 111499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlie L. Lehmkuhler ◽  
Mark D. Miller ◽  
Asa Bradman ◽  
Rosemary Castroina ◽  
Alyson E. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Food Dyes ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines

scholarly journals Evaluation of Users' Attention to the Labeling Information of Over-the-counter Medicines using Eye-tracker

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-78
Author(s):  
JeongSeo CHOI ◽  
Shinichi KOYAMA ◽  
Megumi IZUMISAWA ◽  
Makoto SHIRAGAMI ◽  
Chizuko AKAZAWA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Over The Counter Medicines
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