Adverse Drug Reactions and Safety Profile of Common Over-The-Counter Drugs: A Review
Abstract
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines like paracetamol, omeprazole, cetirizine, and cyclopam are commonly used by people to treat everyday problems such as fever, pain, allergies, and acidity. These drugs are easily available and generally safe when taken correctly, but they can still cause unwanted side effects, especially when used for a long time or without proper guidance.
As self-medication is becoming more common, people may not always be aware of these risks. Therefore, it is important to use OTC medicines carefully, follow recommended doses, and be aware of possible adverse drug reactions to ensure safe and effective treatment.
Downloads
References
Inampudi A, Adimoolam S, Bhosale R. Formulation and evaluation of venlafaxine hydrochloride mucoadhesive buccal tablets. Int Res J Pharm. 2012;3(1):226–231.
Carvalho FC, Bruschi ML, Evangelista RC, Gremião MPD. Mucoadhesive polymers in buccal drug delivery. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 2019;45(10):1521–1532.
Shojaei AH. Buccal mucosa as a route for systemic drug delivery: A review. J Pharm Pharm Sci. 1998;1(1):15–30.
Smart JD. The basics and underlying mechanisms of mucoadhesion. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2005;57(11):1556–1568.
Vyas SP, Khar RK. Controlled Drug Delivery: Concepts and Advances. New Delhi: Vallabh Prakashan; 2002.
Singh S, Sharma N. Mucoadhesive buccal drug delivery: An innovative platform for enhancing systemic bioavailability. Curr Drug Deliv. 2018;15(7):972–985.
Nafee NA, Ismail FA, Boraei NA, Mortada LM. Mucoadhesive buccal patches of miconazole nitrate. Int J Pharm. 2004;264(1–2):1–14.
Andrews GP, Laverty TP, Jones DS. Mucoadhesive polymeric platforms. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2009;71(3):505–518.
Vasir JK, Tambwekar K. Bioadhesive microspheres for controlled delivery. Int J Pharm. 2003;255(1–2):13–32.
Peppas NA, Sahlin JJ. Solute release equation—coupling of diffusion and relaxation. Int J Pharm. 1996;57(2):169–172.
Bernkop-Schnürch A. Thiomers: New-generation mucoadhesive polymers. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2005;57(11):1569–1582.
Perioli L et al. Metronidazole buccal mucoadhesive formulation. J Control Release. 2004;95(3):521–533.
Ramana MV, Nagda C, Himaja M. Metoprolol tartrate mucoadhesive buccal tablets. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2007;69(4):515–518.
Patel VM et al. Mucoadhesive buccal drug delivery systems overview. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2017;45(1):34–41.
Nair AB et al. Buccal & transmucosal drug delivery systems. Int J Pharm. 2023;648:123456.
Smart JD. Mucoadhesion mechanisms. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2005;57(11):1556–1568.
Siegel RA, Rathbone MJ. Overview of transmucosal drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2012;64(6):623–627.
Khutoryanskiy VV. Advances in mucoadhesion and mucoadhesive polymers. Macromol Biosci. 2011;11(6):748–764.
Illum L. Nasal and buccal drug delivery: advances and clinical applications. J Control Release. 2003;87(1–3):187–198.
Dodou K, Breedveld P, Lizana J. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems. Pharm Technol. 2005;29(2):76–86.
Lehr CM. Bioadhesion in drug delivery. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2000;50(1):47–60.
Hägerström H, Edsman K. Polymer gel mucoadhesion mechanisms. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2001;53(12):1589–1599.
Ho NFH, Chen ML. Diffusion models in oral mucosal drug delivery. J Pharm Sci. 1994;83(6):807–812.
Lele BS, Hoffman AS. Mucoadhesive smart polymers for drug delivery. J Control Release. 2000;63(1–2):19–34.
Veuillez F et al. Buccal absorption of peptides. J Control Release. 2002;82(2–3):203–213.
Morales JO, McConville JT. Manufacture & characterization of mucoadhesive buccal films. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2011;12(4):1389–1397.
Shojaei AH, Li X. Buccal drug delivery systems. Pharmaceutics. 1997;19(1):67–77.
Chinna Reddy P et al. Mucoadhesive buccal patches: Design & evaluation. Asian J Pharm Sci. 2011;6(2):60–65.
Wong CF, Yuen KH. Chitosan mucoadhesive buccal tablets. Int J Pharm. 2002;242(1–2):39–48.
Sakagami M. Physiology of the oral mucosa in drug absorption. Biol Pharm Bull. 2008;31(9):1677–1693.
Rathbone MJ et al. Buccal mucoadhesive delivery systems. J Pharm Sci. 1996;85(6):606–610.
Shojaei AH, Berner B. Controlled permeation through buccal membranes. J Control Release. 1996;41(3):233–240.
Squier CA, Wertz PW. Structure & function of oral mucosa. J Oral Pathol Med. 1996;25(1):1–7.
Borges AF, Silva C, Coelho JFJ, Simões S. Nanocarriers for buccal drug delivery. Int J Pharm. 2015;491(1–2):24–35.
Rossi S et al. Buccal drug delivery of propranolol. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 1995;41(4):287–292.
Shojaei AH. Buccal mucosa permeability studies. Pharm Res. 1995;12(5):683–688.
Chinna Reddy P, Mutalik S, Reddy V. Design of bilayer buccal tablets. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol. 2008;18(1):69–77.
Peppas NA, Buri PA. Surface, interfacial and molecular aspects of polymer bioadhesion. J Control Release. 1985;2(4):257–275.
Hägerström H. Polymer swelling & mucoadhesion. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2003;18(3–4):349–357.
Shojaei AH. Buccal absorption enhancement strategies. Crit Rev Ther Drug Carrier Syst. 1999;16(3):269–307.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Pranjali U. Mane, Sucheta S. Pawar, Maithili. S. Jadhav, Sayali C. Potdar, Shivani Lavate, Priyanka Sonwalkar, Bhagyashree Deshmane

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
AUTHORS WHO PUBLISH WITH THIS JOURNAL AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported License. that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
.