The impact of over-the-counter availability of nasal sprays on sales, prescribing, and physician visits.

Objective - The aim was to study changes in sales and prescribing of nasal decongestants containing oxymetazoline or xylometazoline, changes in number of physician visits for rhinitis and sinusitis, and changes in public expenditures for physician visits due to the switch of these drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status in Sweden in 1989.Design - Retrospective registry study using the local sales statistics on medicines in the municipality of Tierp from The National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies and the individual-based computerised registry in Tierp based on health care utilisation and drug use from the Centre for Primary Care. Analyses were carried out during the time period 1988-1995. Setting - The Swedish community of Tierp with about 20 000 inhabitants. Subjects - The population of Tierp. Main outcome measure - Sales of nasal decongestants and dispensed prescriptions of nasal decongestants, physician visits for rhinitis and sinusitis, and public expenditures for these.Results - Sales o...