7 Reasons Self-Medication is Harmful

   

                                         

 7 Reasons Self-Medication is Harmful            

 

Self-medication is the consumption of medications without consulting a doctor. Although it seems easy to simply pop a pill whenever you have a cold or a fever by talking to the friendly neighbourhood chemist or off late, Google, this comes with its own set of risks. Like the saying, “With great power, comes great responsibilities”, an easy access to medications also requires a person to be prudent.

Numerous over-the-counter (OTC) medications are easily available to the public without prescription. These include pain-killers, laxatives, anti-histaminics (anti-allergic), antacids, vitamin supplements etc. In India, even antibiotics are easily available without a prescription. This makes it easy for people to self-medicate. However, various studies have demonstrated a number of reasons why self-medication is harmful and should be avoided. Some of the harmful effects of self-medication include the following:

1. Incorrect Self-Diagnosis: Most people are unaware that most OTC medications only help symptomatically. This means that they reduce or mask the symptoms, but do not actually cure the illness. Moreover, people assume or Google their diagnosis and start medicating themselves for an illness which they might not even be suffering from. A simple problem which could have been cured easily by approaching a doctor on time ends up getting worse by relying on your own incomplete and uninformed judgment.

 

1. Adverse Drug Reactions: These include side-effects which are rare and not commonly expected from the medications. Every medicine comes with a side-effect which may be anticipated, but even today, decade-old medicines are reported to cause unknown reactions in rare cases.

 

1. Drug Interactions: There are many categories of medicines which are not supposed to be taken together or with a certain kind of food. These interactions either increase the effect of medicines, decrease it or cause side-effects. For example, the absorption of iron is hampered when it is taken with calcium supplements or dairy products.

 

1. Dependence: Medications like pain-killers or antacids may get you habituated to them if taken for a prolonged duration of time. This may lead to unknown side effects or organ damage.

 

1. Improper Administration or Dosage: Certain pain-killers are to be taken with food while some on an empty stomach. If these rules aren’t followed, they may cause gastritis which may even lead to stomach ulcers. Consuming high doses of some pain-killers may increase the risk of internal bleeding or a stroke.

 

1. Antibiotic Resistance: Most people are not aware that antibiotics cure only bacterial infections and not viral. Most viral fevers and common colds are self-resolving. Medical attention is only needed if the symptoms are prolonged and/or getting worse. Taking antibiotics when not indicated, in incorrect doses or not completing the recommended regimen leads to bacterial resistance to the drug. This means, the next time you actually have a bacterial infection, the same antibiotic may not work efficiently, and your doctor will have to switch you to another one of a higher spectrum.

 

1. Self-Medication during Pregnancy and Lactation: A number of medicines are contraindicated during pregnancy as these medications pass on to the baby and may cause congenital defects in the new-born. They might even pass to the baby through the breast milk while feeding and should be meticulously avoided.

 

Be aware of what you are consuming. Although self-medication may save you a trip to the doctor and may even cure that occasional headache without any side effects, it is always better to rely on experts. Make it a habit to seek the opinion of your physician and avoid self-medicating to avert unknown medical emergencies.

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