Pharmacy: a gateway to access to medicines for elderly individuals living in the city of Santos

This study aimed to profile the consumption of drugs by seniors, with emphasis on the association between the most commonly purchased drugs of continued use and other drugs without medical prescription, and to evaluate the social role of the pharmacist in private pharmacies. The method was qualitative research, of the comprehensive and explanatory type, carried out in the city of Santos in 2008, in neighborhoods with high concentration of elderly people(IBGE 2000). In these neighborhoods, three private pharmacies were identified. They authorized the conduction of the research for one week. During this period, interviews were performed based on a structured script. The results showed that the elderly mostly consume the pharmacological classes of drugs of continuous use: antihypertensives, antidiabetic drugs, diuretics and the antiplatelet agent. The main drugs acquired without medical prescription were: analgesics and antipyretics, anti-flu drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal medicines. Some of those who comprise this set could not have been acquired without prescription. The evidences point to the fact that self-prescribed consumption, associated with the utilization of drugs of continuous use, is a common practice among the elderly. Adapted from the source document.