Introduction
To establish the feasibility of conducting pharmacy based research in our locality, North Staffordshire Consortium Pharmacists decided to investigate the 'sleep aids'. Sleep aids (sedative antihistamines) are available 'over the counter' from pharmacies for the treatment of temporary sleeplessness. Although safe in the short term, unregulated long term use can result in dependence or tolerance. Larger quantities can induce hallucinations, drowsiness and other psychoactive effects. The relative cheapness, wide availability and media advertising increase the vulnerability of sleep aids to misuse. Some pharmacists perceive sleep aids to be the most misused OTC product available. However, little is known about who actually uses these products and how they are used. A study was designed to establish feasibility of conducting pharmacy based research and to investigate the profile of OTC sleep medication users.

Method
Customers sold a sleep aid during the six week recruitment period from any of the consortium pharmacies were invited to participate. Demographic data and patterns of use were collected using a self administered questionnaire. A log was also kept by pharmacy staff which recorded details of all requests and their outcome.

Results
One hundred and forty requests were made in total during the study period. The majority of sales were made to females (n=86, 64%). Forty two percent of sales were made to persons thought to be older than 50yrs. The majority of sales were made from the supermarket pharmacies. One hundred and eleven questionnaires were given out. Thirty eight questionnaires were returned (response rate, 34%). The majority of respondents were female but the age profiles were well distributed. Sixty percent (n=23) of respondents were not in employment. Adverts and family or friends were strongest influences on the choice to use sleep aids. Ten respondents were first time users. Most respondents only used a sleep aid about once a week. Although 62% of respondents had spoken to their GP abut their sleep problem, 59% had not told him or her that they were now using an OTC sleep aid. The majority of respondents were classed on the basis of self-report as suffering from disordered sleep.

Discussion
We found that sleep aid use is not problematic but our findings are limited with regards to generalisability. The response rate although low is comparable to other pharmacy based research. The Aberdeen group, who have pioneered this approach, reported rather higher responses with a less sensitive topic. Nevertheless, we have established the feasibility of conducting research using our local pharmacy network and the study has provided an initial picture of sleep-aid use. To increase recruitment for subsequent studies it is suggested that; the study run for a longer period of time; the network of pharmacies is expanded; customers are encouraged to fill out the questionnaire on the premises; pharmacy (counter) staff are more involved to give them greater ownership of the study and training be provided for staff to make them more confident to carry out the study.