Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health
ISSN: 3065-9078 | DOI: 10.64030/3065-9078
Thais Stefanny Souza dos Santos, Nairyele Beatriz de Oliveira Crispim, Francisca Karyna Soares da Silva, Iolanda do Nascimento Araújo Rocha and Sebastião Salazar Jansem Filho
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs represent one of the most widely consumed therapeutic classes globally for pain and inflammation; however, unrestricted over-the-counter availability without prescription retention fosters widespread selfmedication and irrational consumption. This integrative literature review evaluated the clinical impacts of irrational nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, multiorgan toxicological risks, and the contribution of pharmaceutical care to patient safety. Following established methodological frameworks across major international and regional databases from 2011 to 2026, representative investigations were synthesized. Epidemiological findings revealed high self-medication rates across the general population, sports practitioners, and pediatric administration by caregivers, driven by misplaced assumptions of overthe-counter safety. Indiscriminate and supratherapeutic consumption precipitates severe multiorgan toxicities, including upper gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding, acute hemodynamic renal failure, fluid retention, hyperkalemia, atherothrombotic cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke resulting from vascular prostanoid imbalance, drug-induced liver injury, and leukotriene-mediated hypersensitivity reactions. Inappropriate combination with antihypertensive, anticoagulant, or nephrotoxic therapies substantially magnifies these hazards. Clinical pharmaceutical care—operationalized through dispensing screening, medication reconciliation, pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, strict limitation of non-prescription therapy to three to five consecutive days, and pharmacovigilance reporting—is essential to prevent adverse drug events and safeguard clinical outcomes across health systems.