The greatest medicine of all is to teach people how not to need it. - Hippocrates
Few days, ago, I was ordering some BP medicine from Amazon. They have certain tie-up with pharmacy for online delivery of medicines. What I like most, is their effective process of uploading a prescription to confirm the order. It was genuinely a smart move to avoid people from using unwanted medicines of their own. People are often in practices of self medication which could prove harmful at any stage of life.
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The rising inflation at the health sector have forced many people to opt for self medication. These days the cost of medical services are soaring very high, many people unable to consult a doctor have left with an option to self medicate themselves. The rising cost of health services and doctors charges are getting higher day by day. I remeber, a popular physician in my area who was charging a nominal fee of Rs.150/- in 2012. But, now he is charging a Rs.2000/- for a visit. Not everyone could afford such cost and ultimately lead to opt for self medication.
The power of medicine
If I recall correctly, few years ago, DOLO-650 was very popular medicine for fever. It got its popularity during the covid waves and soon people started asociating it with any kind of fever. Even in case of mild fever or flu, people starts taking that pill. But many times such self medication could prove very fatal. In my country, there is a trend that people prefer to consult a pharmacy shop than a doctor. The pharmacy shop owner are not a qualified doctor but regular dealing with patients and medicine made them a self-doctor. People often take medicine consulting them, without a proper diagnosis of the illness. This could be a danger to life.
Small doses, big impact!
Recently, there was an instance, in my relation that a person loses his life as he relied too long on his self prescribed medicine. He was only 22 and He had fever with cough. He had some issue with urine too. Assuming it to be a normal flu, he started consuming DOLO and torex cough syrup of his own. Belonging from a weaker family, he could not afford the doctor charges. Ultimately, after 2 days of self medication he died in sleep. Later on it was discovered that he was suffering from Typhod. This is where a expert diagnosis is importsnt. While people avoid to consult a doctor, but in reality,
Consulting a doctor for treatment is advised because they possess the medical expertise to accurately diagnose our condition. They provide the most appropriate treatment plan, and manage potential complications, which can significantly improve our health outcomes and prevent further harm by self-treating with potentially incorrect methods or medications.
Prescriptions for a brighter tomorrow
In this technological era, self medication has become a trend. With many medicine easily available alongwith their dosage details over the internet. People consider them as a better option than consulting a doctor. People self-medicate for a variety of reasons. While cost contraint has been a major factor, as it is cheaper than a doctor's visit. Self-medication can be a time constraint too. If we do not have time to visit a doctor or get an appointment, Self medication becomes more convenient option.
The other factors, that stop people from visiting a doctor is to avoid any health complexities. These day, health sector has turned into a profit making business. And noone wants to get into its web. There happen many instances that you visit with mild health issue but they create a havoc with multiple issue. Such thing intentionally done to get some profit from the patients health insurance. But in reality Self-medication can have dangerous consequences on any individuals.
Self-medication can be dangerous, and we should consult a medical professional before taking any medication of our own. We cannot risks our life, just to save few bucks. It is good to learn about some medicine through personal experince. Those learning can be useful at emergency. But the time situation could not be handled and there is no sign of recovery, it is better to consult a professional. They are the best to diagnose.