Self-medication is a rampant thing in many third-world countries, and it all boils down to the high cost of just getting a consultation or checkup in hospitals. In the process of just going through a diagnosis, a lot of people get drained financially and can barely afford the cost of drugs from certified pharmacies across the country, so instead of visiting the hospital, they compare their symptoms with people who have the same symptoms and start treating themselves.
It's so bad that some people even check online for what their illness might be and start treating themselves, which is a terrible thing. I think a lot of people do not understand the importance of diagnosis/consultation because if they did, self-medication wouldn't even cross their minds.
Today, going to the hospital isn't an option for a lot of people, and it's sad that the government's means of helping aren't enough. A lot of times, I blame the government for not providing enough government hospitals, but on the other hand, the population of many third-world countries is nothing to be write about, and it has made the government effort amount to nothing.
I am not the type who loves to take drugs and doubts if I have practiced self-medication because ordinarily, I discard drugs except when I am ill. Despite my fear for needles, I still prefer taking injections or drips because they work better; drugs are effective too, but I just don't enjoy taking them.
As a kid, the majority of the medications I took were h noerbal because my mom is a professional when it comes to using roots and herbs for medicine, but the moment she realizes that the herb wasn't making any difference, she opts in for the hospital immediately, which rarely happens. As a mother, she knows how to quickly calm situations before involving a doctor, so I wouldn't call that self-medication.
Over the years, I have seen the consequences and whenever I see someone talk about self-treatment these days, I try to talk them out of it and even sharing a few experiences I witnessed with them.
About a decade ago, a female friend and colleague of mine had excessive pimples on her face. It started as a result of her menstrual cycle, but it didn't go as usual after the flow, and it even got worse. The pimple extended from the face to other parts of the body, and I was scared the day she confided in me to show how much the pimple had affected her skin. I suggested that she visit the hospital immediately, and she agreed to do so.
I did a follow-up, and she claimed to have started medication. I thought she consulted a doctor like we agreed on, but I was wrong. About three weeks later, if I am not mistaken, we were at work when she collapsed in the classroom and her pupils started screaming. I rushed there, and we immediately took her to the hospital in my boss's vehicle.
The doctor did a few checkups and said she has been taking some powerful antibiotics lately, which she didn't deny. Surprisingly, it wasn't even just one, and I was shocked to know that she has been taking overdoses of different unprescribed antibiotics for her pimples.
She was down for days, and we had to buy some tonics just to help her regain some strength. The doctor warned her and even said she could have lost her life in the course of practicing self-medication.
In many cases, advising people against self-medication is the best I can do, and it would have been better if I could support them with some money to do the needful.
With the current economy, the cost of drugs and consulting hospitals has escalated so much that self-medication among people has worsened. Regardless of what our condition is, self-medication isn't an option. I know there are situations that require first aid, which is okay as it can't be compared to self-medication.
Ordinarily, I take paracetamol for headaches, but that happens when the headache has become severe, which barely happens. I manage my health the best way I can to even prevent illness, so prevention is a lot better than cure. If we live healthy, falling ill won't happen frequently, and self-medication wouldn't come into the picture.
Once in a while that we might fall ill, going to the hospital wouldn't be an issue since it's not something that happens often. To curb the practice of self medication, I would suggest that the government take time to educate people about the consequences and also provide an accessible and affordable healthcare system for the masses.
With that in place, there will be a decrease in self medication cases and it would be easy to even advise people as an individual to desist from the act.
All Image Are Mine