Influence of Educational Streams on Over the Counter (OTC) Drugs: Purchasing and Usage Behaviour

An over the counter (OTC) drug can be purchased without any prescription. These drugs become popular due to their easy access and cost effectiveness and the self-medication practice is increasing day by day, especially among youth. People are taking many drugs without consultation or prescription for headache, cold & cough, pain etc. There are so many factors to study that what the consumers think while buying these OTC drugs. This paper investigates especially the effect of academic disciplines of students on the purchase and usage behaviour regarding over to counter (OTC) drugs. The study will assess a range of factors such as awareness level, frequency of use, sources of information and purchasing platforms with respect to the demographic and academic diversities. It explores the impact of academic backgrounds on self-medication practices, reliability on healthcare professionals, digital and social media. The study indicates the need to administered awareness programs and strategic initiatives to promote the safe use of OTC medications. Additionally, the study identifies behavioral differences in packaging engagement and purchasing channels across academic streams, contributing to safer usage of OTC drugs and supporting targeted awareness initiatives.