A lot of people around me who practice self-medication often mistake it for first aid, forgetting that although both are promptly used to serve as swift measures to relieve pain and the like, they aren't the same because while first aid is mainly to get one stabilized before receiving proper care from a professional, self-medication, on the other hand, is done based on personal judgment without the intention of seeing a professional thereafter. While sometimes knowing the right drugs to use can come in handy during a health-challenging moment, habitual usage can jeopardize one's health and cause many damages.
Like I said above, self-medication tends to have its good side, which could play the role of first aid as of the first usage when we notice any abnormality within our body. Taking such medication, of which we already know their effectiveness, can help combat and relive our pain, and it's a good thing because had we not had such knowledge, then such a person might undergo that pain or difficulties until they see a doctor.
But then while it's good I've seen some people who have on their own become the doctor and pharmacist of themselves, and before you know it, once they're ill, you'll see them start prescribing drugs that'll help them reinstate themselves back to a perfect state of health as though they're professionals, although in most cases such drugs taken during self-medication often perform their duties in reliving the pain, but unknowing it leaves a side effect that can go on to cause harm to the individual.
I'm not saint in this habit, even though I've stopped, but I can remember several years back, once I'm sick or have any form of upset within me, the first thing I think about is how to lay my hands on paracetamol and use it, because I've the belief that it'll help calm my nerves, and I'm not the only one who does this; in fact, I can say that at least half the population of we Nigerians does this until we're educated about the dangers involved.
I, for one, didn't stop or know its damage until I felt ill one day and visited the hospital. I was told I must stop the usage of paracetamol and any pain reliever medicine because they'll cause more harm to my liver, and since then, regardless of how sick I feel, I won't take any medication of mu owm but instead quickly pay a visit to the hospital to diagnose me and prescribe the right drugs that'll help in that situation.
While I take heed to the doctors advice, unfortunately not everyone does, because sometimes when doctors advise patients to stop using some drugs, such a patient tends to think the doctor is only trying to make sure people come to the hospital more often so they can get customers and money, unknown to them that such doctors are only looking out for them.
I can remember a particular woman in our neighborhood back then; she's fond of indulging in the act of self-medication, and regardless of how you advise her, she'll turn a deaf ear and even encourage others to indulge in the act. I remember she often said instead of going to the hospital regularly, she'll just visit the pharmacy and buy antibiotics and antimalarial drugs to use whenever he's not feeling fine, and if she did that, her pain would be relief.
Unfortunately for her, things went south when she became seriously ill, and all of those drugs she took for self-medication couldn't make a difference. She was taken to the hospital, and it was realized that her constant usage of those drugs had damaged her heart, causing a heart-related problem and a vision problem, and to cap it all, most of those antibiotics can no longer be effective for her because of the constant usage.
So with the evidence of health issues that might follow persistent acts of self-medication, it's advice that one abstain from such at all costs, and if paraventure they needed to use something urgently, then it's best if they've got the number of a medical practitioner to help guide and prescribe something for them to use before going to the hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment.
All photos taken and edited on canva.