Self Medication: An Emerging Trend

Abstract

Self-medication involves the use of medicinal products by the individuals to treat self-recognized diseases or symptoms or the intermittent or continuous use of medication prescribed by a physician for chronic or recurrent disease or symptoms. Self-medication also involves acquiring medicines without a prescription or resubmitting old prescriptions to purchase medicines, sharing medicines with relatives or members of one’s social circle or using left over medication or failing to comply with the professional prescription, either by prolonging it or interrupting it too early or decreasing or increasing the originally prescribed dose. It is practiced significantly worldwide, even though its type, extent and reasons for its practice may vary. No data are available on the current status of self-medication practices among health sciences. It is a worldwide sensation and probable contributor to antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics. The adversative results of such practices should always be highlighted to the public and steps to restrain it. Extensive irrational use of antibiotics without medical direction may result in bigger possibility of unsuitable, improper, or unwarranted therapy, false finding, and delays in proper treatment, pathogen resistance and amplified morbidity. This review focused on the self‑medication of various drugs through internet. The purpose of this review is to provide awareness to the readers about the hazardous and worse consequences of the drug misuse through self-medication. Various research and review articles are reviewed for collection of information about self-medication.

Keywords: Self-Medication; Online Self-Medications; Trends; Risk of Misdiagnoses; Drug Abuse