Patterns of Corticosteroid Prescriptions among Patients at Community Pharmacies in Lahore, Pakistan

Background: Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones produced by the adrenal gland and are used to treat many diseases, including autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases. Besides their role in many diseases, long-term use, misuse, and overuse cause side effects including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis.

Objective: The aim of current study is to evaluate the prescription pattern of corticosteroids in different community pharmacies, among patients, in Lahore.

Methods: The cross-sectional stratified convenient study performed using a validated questionnaire to analyse the prescription pattern of corticosteroids in patients at different community pharmacies in Lahore. Total 92 patients are participating in this study.

Results: A total of 92 patients take part in the study. In this research 67.4% females are participated. The average age of patients is above 30 years. Asthma is the most common reason for corticosteroids administration (19.6%) followed by rheumatoid arthritis (12.0%) whereas in inflammatory bowel disease they are least prescribed (1.1%). Prednisolone is the most prescribed drug (33.7%) and Oral route is the frequently given route.

Conclusion: Our data shows that the prescription pattern of corticosteroid must be improved. Health care providers should pay attention to counseling of patients and guide them about dose tapering to avoid adverse effects.