Unnecessary GI medication utilisation
We investigated whether the outpatient prescriptions of study subjects
for the common cold included any GI medications and estimated the
percentage of their unnecessary use. Compounds regarded as GI
medications in this study were antiulcer drugs (antacids, H2-receptor
blockers, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and mucosal protective agents)
and GI tract regulators (GI tract stimulants, anticholinergics, and
others; Appendix II).