The Health Risks Of Self-medication

To self-medicate means to use medicine without a prescription, and thus without medical intervention. What is worrying is that medicines are becoming easier to obtain, either due to low prices or due to the availability over the internet.

To clarify, we mean by “without medical intervention” that there is no professional intervention either in terms of the diagnosis or the prescription and that there is no monitoring of the treatment. Nowadays, this habit is growing in the community. However, most people do not realize how much they harm themselves and the rest of the population when they self-medicate.

There are over-the-counter medications you can use to relieve minor symptoms such as headaches, fever or colds. However, they can only be used to a certain extent and for a limited period of time. This is because you need to see your doctor if your symptoms persist for a long period of time. 

In this article, we will take a look at the dangers of self-medication. 

To self-medicate with painkillers

Unfortunately, the estimates for the intake of these drugs indicate a massive exposure to painkillers in all age groups of the population and to a wide range of diseases. However, when overused without these recommendations, or without professional control, they can greatly affect the kidneys and digestive system and lead to stomach ulcers or liver necrosis. 

A very dangerous form of self-medication: antibiotics

There are many countries with a high degree of self-medication with antibiotics. Thus, they show an unfortunate listing of antibiotic resistance, especially in outpatient bacterial pathogens. This is very dangerous as it means that the over-consumption of these drugs makes the bacteria resistant to them, which in turn makes certain diseases impossible to treat. 

Do not use antibiotics without medical supervision. This is because arbitrary use poses a danger to the health of the entire world’s population. Fortunately, you usually do not get antibiotics without a prescription in Norway, but more and more people buy over-the-counter in other countries on holidays, for example.

Other cases

Here are some other types of medications and supplements that many people take without medical advice:

• Topical antiseptics.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements.
• Antiviral drugs and cough medicine.
• Gastrointestinal medications, laxatives and antacids.

However, the most important thing we want to bring out in this article is antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is currently a global crisis. You’ve probably heard of it, but you may not realize how big the problem actually is.

When strains become resistant to antibiotics, it is because antibiotics are no longer effective against the specific bacteria. Therefore, these microorganisms develop a number of mechanisms to defend themselves against the effects of a given drug.

So, what’s the problem? Why not use another medicine if one does not work?

Yes, that’s the way it is now. However, this creates other problems when we start overusing the new varieties of antibiotics and the bacteria become resistant to them. The problem is that we are starting to run out of alternatives and risk running out completely. 

Health risks of self-medication

Self-medication without medical or pharmaceutical involvement poses several health risks that, in most cases, people are not even aware of. Among them we find:

• Poisoning.
• Lack of effect due to incorrect use. This is very common in cases of antibiotics used to treat a virus.
• Addiction, which can occur with benzodiazepines.
• Masks serious clinical processes.
• Personal antibiotic resistance, as we have explained above.

Conclusion

If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Do not take any medicine that requires a prescription for administration unless your doctor indicates such treatment.

Always consult a pharmacist for the proper use of over -the-counter medications.