EFFECTS OF SELF MEDICATION- A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!

Hi friends, beautiful morning from Nigeria, today i decided to look into our health.

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You know the saying, health is wealth!

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I hope you learn one or two things from it!

Self medication is the act or practice of the use of drugs self prescribed by the individual or a member of the family who is not medically inclined.

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Self medication could also mean taken left over drugs from your previous illness.

This is not just a national problem but a global in developed and developing countries according to present research and there is no much awareness on the dangers and disadvantages of self medication.

Most times we are encouraged by our relatives at home to have a random tablet for any ailment due to the fact that we tend to have common regular ailments like headache,fever, malaria.

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These happens as a result of a perceived self recognised or self diagnosed symptoms.

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People just give interpretation of whatever symptoms they get and go ahead to buy drugs and take without seeking medical help, most cases it is always assumed to be malaria.

Every fever means that malaria has come or typhoid 😂😂😂

The misuse of drugs have caused several damage in the lives of individuals and society at large.

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A lot of people feel that indulging in self medication saves them time and money, but then it can't be compared to the effect in your body.

Exposure to advertisements, availability of drugs, education, economy of family and society has also contributed to these.

I could remember when I prescribed one for myself, after buying, i just decided to read the instructions before taking it, that was how i discovered that at my present condition then, the drug wasn't suitable for me.

Effects of self medication could be harmful and life threatening.

I had to leave the drug and went to the hospital the next day, you would see that i spent double for something that i could have just gone to the hospital and get appropriate medical attention.

The effects of self-medication even if is for small health issues can lead to complications.

Due to the affordability of certain drugs like vitamin C, paracetamol, cough syprups, antibiotics, pain relief drugs, some malaria tablets, multivitamins etc makes it easier for people to diagnose drugs for themselves and go ahead to purchase it.

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The dangers involved include:

• Incorrect choice of therapy: Some drugs have a particular food that could be advised to be taken with or certain meals to abstain from while on medication, you wouldn't know this if you choose the drug yourself.

• Incorrect dosage: I once heard of a man who was asked to take just a tablet of the drug given to him once daily and he felt that tablet was too small and decided to take it two, twice daily and he almost lost his life.

Sometimes is not about the size of the drug because you never know the chemical composition of the drug and what a pinch of it can do and how it should be taken.

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Never underestimate the power of a drug!

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You need medical guidance to be able to the correct dosage to take to avoid overdose.

• Delays in seeking medical advice when needed: Delays in seeking medical attention could make your situation worsen or your issue not properly handled, we all know that when the source of an ailment is not properly taken csre of, there could always be a recurrence.

• Incorrect self-diagnosis: We could have a particular symptom for more than one ailment, so when you diagnosis what is not real, you run at a risk.

• Irregular drug reactions: Drugs tend to react to your system when it's used inappropriately, self medication could make you treat what was never in existence, for example alot of people misuse antibiotics alot, when you take antibiotics when there is no bacterial infection, bacteria develop and multiply in higher numbers of bacteria that are resistant to your medication.

Bacteria could also resist the actions of further antibiotic treatments that could be given subsequently due is as a result of over-use or when it has been used inappropriately.

• DRUG ADDICTION: You get addicted to a particular drug when you keep using it over and over again without it been prescribed by a medical personnel, this is drug abuse, every ailments needs a prescription irrespective of what was used previously.

• DRUG-Drug interaction: This is a conflicting action of a combination of different drugs, the reactions of drug A might counteract that of drug B,that is why is good to seek medical attention and be properly guided.

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Your health should be taken as serious as every other thing.

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You can also avoid misuse of drugs by:

• Avoid storing medication in direct light, heat or humidity.

• Also discard your drugs after use, don't preserve them for later use.

• Always check the expiry dates of drugs before use.

• Never take a medication that was prescribed for another person because individual health status differ.

• Always read the instructions and user guide of any drugs you take, this guide can be obtained from the pack of the drug.

• Keep medications in their original labelled containers.

• Do not take medication in the dark to avoid a mix-up.

• Make sure to obtain every information you to need get from your pharmacists about a particular drug before you can go ahead and take them.

HOW TO AVOID SELF MEDICATION!

This is very simple and easy, if and only if you would agree with me.

There is no other better way to stop than for you to make up your mind and say "NO" to it,maybe you have been doing it all these while and nothing has happened.

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You many never know your unlucky day.!

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Say no to self medication and locate your pharmacist today and whenever you need medical attention

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Also try to go for medical check ups in the hospital, atleast once in a month or in two months.

I am @cherylsonty!

Keep steeming!