Use of Over-the-Counter Medication among Pregnant Women in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Table 2

Public responses to the survey questions related to education level, use of over-the-counter drugs, and medical history.

Survey items	Yes; (%)	No; (%)	Sometimes; (%)	95% CI for single proportion for “yes”
Do you know what is meant by over-the-counter drugs?	106 (75.7%)	34 (24.3%)	0	68.6–82.8
Do you think that all over-the-counter drugs are safe to be taken during pregnancy?	8 (5.7%)	132 (94.3%)	0	1.9–9.5
Do you think that all herbal medications are safe to be taken during pregnancy?	60 (42.9%)	80 (57.1%)	0	34.7–51.1
Have you ever used an over-the-counter drug before pregnancy?	70 (50%)	70 (50%)	0	41.7–58.2
Do you read/check the accompanying leaflet?	98 (70%)	11 (7.9%)	31 (22.1)	62.5–77.5
Have you ever used an over-the-counter drug or vitamin in your current pregnancy?	40 (28.6%)	99 (70.7%)	0	21.1–36.1
Did you experience any side effects from the over-the-counter drugs?	11 (7.8%)	129 (92.1%)	0	3.4–12.3
Headache	5 (3.6%)	135 (96.4%)
Constipation	6 (4.3%)	134 (95/7%)
Do you have any chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, or asthma)?	9 (6.4%)	131 (93.6%)	0	2.4–10.5
Diabetes	3 (2.1%)	137 (97.9%)
Disc and migraine	1 (0.7%)	139 (99.3%)
Hypertension	4 (2.9%)	136 (97.1%)
Do you have a child with special needs?; Hereditary disease	1 (0.7%)	139 (99.3%)	0	1.0–2.1