When I read through the content of this week's prompt, I could not help it but give a big grin. Not like the type you see the joker (in Batman) give. Lol.
Many people, mostly, medical personnel are guilty of self medication. To them, they have adequate knowledge of anatomy and physiology, or A & P as I like to call it, they know the pharmacodynamics as well as pharmacokinetics of a given medication, so, it is literally safe for them to ingest it irrespective of another doctor's prescription. Confession time, I am equally guilty. Haha.
img belongs to me
Irrespective of a person's vast knowledge of medicine, I think it's appropriate when another person treat them of their illness. Self pity may make them take an under or overdose of the medication. In worst cases, they may get addicted to it.
In my country, we are so used to self medication that every slight headache, fever and body ache is as a result of Typhoid and Malaria, and as such, we go to the drug dispenser and get some medication for it. My country people and paracetamol are like 5 and 6. You have a headache, muscle ache, pain anywhere? Take 2 tabs of PCM and you'll be fine. Some even go ahead to take up to 3 or 4 tabs. According to them, 2 is not enough. Here I am wondering, when did PCM become candy? Lol.
I once worked in a community setting. There, I observe one thing with patients, mainly the elderly ones. When given their prescribed medications, they tend to store the medication packet after they finish taking it. The reason for this is so that they will buy the same medicine and take it by themselves (without doctors prescription) if a similar health problem arises in the future. As smart as they seem, they are unknowingly causing more harm than good for themselves.
I don't know who is reading this post right now, elderly or not, but if you're doing this same thing, then this is for you. There is something called a differential diagnosis, meaning two different disease condition may have similar signs and symptoms. Sometimes, even the doctors mistake one for the other. This is the major reason why you should never diagnose yourself, and always come the hospital for proper check up.
Okay, let's get back to the post.
Though self medication is quite cheaper than going to the hospital to pay for consultation, and it's also stress-free, it is actually causing more harm than good.
It is worth knowing that the medication we drink is actually a double edged sword. If taken as prescribed, it will heal the body from the target disease, but, if not taken as prescribed and maybe overdosed, it will become harmful to the body.
When I was still a student, my pharmacology lecturer once told us that medications are good poison and are also bad poison. It all depends on the dosage you take.
Personally, I'm equally guilty of self medication. Though my indebt knowledge of A&P and pharmacology and others, has helped me not to overdose or something, I can't help it but think, I'm I actually doing the right thing?
During school days, I had a friend that became a chronic addict of pentazocine. How? Self medication. Just as the illustration I gave with the elderly in the fifth paragraph, his own started just like that. Every now and then, he is always with an ampoule of penta, and a syringe to inject himself. We tried everything possible to stop him from being as addicted as he is, but it was all futile. His veins was scarred from too many needle puncturing. Life of an addict.
Self medication can lead to many problems, and ultimately, it can lead to death. Prevention they say, is better than cure. It's better to spend that money on consulting a doctor, than to spend it on treating the effects of self medication.