#Awareness About Self Medication
Problem statement:
“The use of medicine by a person for treating health problem without consulting a physician or pharmacist”
This is very harmful and not beneficial for health. People take it easy in the light of getting fast relief and they think that self-cure is a better way because they want temporary relief. But sometime medicine gives you relief from the health issue at that time but later on it produces adverse effect.
Also some drugs cause addiction which is very harmful because person get addicted and need to take on usual basis which not only distrub your physical health but also mental health.
However, in contrast to this many Antibiotics sold without any prescription which required to be banned because it causes resistance in the body and shrinking the range of effective antibiotics which is a global problem.
I personally talk to people why they didn’t care about long term side effects of self medication.
SOME GLIMPSE OF CONVERSATION WITH THEM :
1)My cousin has high fever from last two days she bought some antibiotics from pharmacy without any prescription in order to cure.
Me: Why you are taken such a high power antibiotic with very high dose?
She: My friend told me that she get cure from this medicine within two days that’s why I’m thinking i also get cure from this.
Me: This drug causes resistance in your body. Why you didn’t ask your physician and get yourself check?
She: I' m too lazy and i have no time to get myself check-up from physician.
Me: Did you get cure?
She: firstly i’m using other antibiotic but didn’t see any result my fever is on same point and then my friend suggest me to use another antibiotic from this i got cure.
Me: you experimenting yourself with many Antibiotics and got resistance in your body which is very dangerous for your health.
2) I talk some people why you people see self medication is reliable for your health rather to take expert advise?
-|Financial constraint.
-|Lack of time.
-|Suggestion from family and friends
-|Urge of self care.
-|Felling independent.
-|Advertisment of the drugs and all the medicine are easily available.
-|Pharmacy shopkeeper didn’t ask for prescription.
WAYS TO STOP SELF MEDICATION
✓Awareness programs in hospitals as well as in school, colleges and universities.
✓Create awareness on social media by making a website and give guidelines about the use of OTC (over the counter drug= didn’t required consultion from the health experts) and diseases which may cause by the use of drugs for self-cure.
✓Read about advantages and disadvantages of self medication from your surroundings.
✓The topic of self medication need to be added in science book in order to educate students.
✓Pharmacist in the hospital have responsibility to spread awarness about the use and misuse of medicine and discuss with the patient about drug abuse.
BENEFITS:
When we stop people to cure yourself on temporary basis rather than they get check-up from physician that is very beneficial for person health:
- Seeking medical advice when needed so people safe from severe adverse effects of medicines.
- Sometime drug-drug interactions are there due to lack of knowledge people take two or more medicine at a time result in drugs masking the effect of each other so the patient do not get benefit from these drugs.
- Physician and pharmacist can guide you about the disease and give you medicine which is the first choice of therapy.
- Proper guideline help you about the use of drug and dosage form which is beneficial for your health and you didn’t get resistance.
