When And Why Self-Medication Is Proper In Nigeria
Self-medication is the use of drugs to treat oneself without a valid medical prescription and supervision. They involve Over The Counter (O.T.C) drugs.
Pharmacy shops, patent medicine dealer and even big super markets sell these drugs.
There are lots of debate on the benefits these holds for patients. There are so many medical personnel including pharmacist that kick against such practice. However, it is good to know that the World Health Organization (W.H.O) have studied the benefits and is presently encouraging such actions. However, there are disadvantages and disadvantages. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Picture this scenario; someone wakes up in the middle of the night to a very severe stomach pain. Within the house, there are some pain relievers, which worked perfectly well in the past for such stomach pain. Will be wise to dress up to visit the next hospital that may be far from the house that night or grab the painkiller in the house to relieve the pain? Alternatively, visit the nearest patent or pharmacy shop if the drug is not available in the house. If the drug did not work after some time before visiting the hospital.
In addition, visiting a doctor just because of a slight headache that can be treated with the help of paracetamol should be frown at.
Self-medication involves diagnosis. Getting the right diagnosis is followed by the right medication, which will need the right dose and dosage regimen. However, since most people are not in the medical field, they rely on previous experience to diagnose and self-medicate such as previous experience where a doctor did the diagnosis and prescribed.
Note: Pregnant women, children and the elderly should limit the practice of self-medication.
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Advantages Of Self-Medication
- Reduces work load on medical personnel
- It promotes active role of patients in their own health care
- Reduce burden on the government
Disadvantages Of Self-Medication
- May lead to incorrect diagnosis
- May lead incorrect medication
- Infrequent but severe adverse effects reactions when it occurs
- Delay in seeking medical assistance when the situation is critical unknown to the patient
- Dangerous drug interactions very common when patient wants to treat several health conditions with self-medication
- May lead to incorrect manner of administration
- Worse case is masking of the disease by treating signs and symptoms
- Dependence and abuse
- Financial loss due to delay in recovery when the treatment fails.
The major reasons why the above disadvantages are common is because neighbours sometimes prescribe based on past experience with a medical doctor on the same symptoms of which the doctor took into consideration the age, sex and weight of the neighbour but is not considered here.
Reasons To Self-Medicate (Advantage To The Patient)
- When to see a doctor is time-consuming
- Saves life in case of emergency situations
- Saves cost. From transport to the hospital and cost of consultation
Health Conditions That Can Be Treated At Home With Self-Medication
- Allergies
- Constipation
- Cold and flu
- Nausea
Read Also: How Tramadol Abuse Is Silently Creeping Into Homes With Its Destructive Effects In Nigeria
To achieve better results, the patient should follow information on the drug information label carefully and continue to monitor their conditions for positive changes. It may be difficult for non-medical personnel to know when a certain symptom is caused by the illness or an adverse effect.
To avoid adverse effects, patient should
- Reduce OTC usage
- Read drug information label and keep to the instructions on it
- Ask pharmacists when confused
- Keep records of adverse effects for future purpose
Note: During self-medication, if symptoms persist after some time, please consult your pharmacist or doctor. E.g. if symptoms persist after two days of taking paracetamol, consult your health care provider.
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