Contest: Self Medication

source

Self medication is a widespread phenomenon, it is the use of drugs or other substances with no actual guidance or direction from a qualified medical professional.

It can also be seen as taking or applying any substance without consulting the qualified body involved. Self medication involves self diagnosing and self medicating

With this, we tend to practice self medication almost every day in form of self-care.

Is self Medication safe?

source

No, self medication is not safe especially with someone having little or no knowledge of drugs and how they work.

The fact that self medication has some benefits (such as, unnecessary expense is avoided, reduced load on hospitals, saved you the stress and time lost in waiting for a doctor) can't be denied but it's disadvantages are adverse and extreme, making it an unsafe choice.

What kind of self medication do you practice?

The common and probably only form of self medication I practice is that involving dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs which are mostly available in market or stores.

This drugs are mostly pain killers or medications for headache which I take when the need arise without soliciting professional consent.

Do you experience any adverse effect of your self Medication?

Having some form of knowledge about illness, drugs and their uses, I haven't experienced any adverse effect due to self medication.
This is also because, I'm careful to report to a qualified professional once the symptoms seems to persist in order to get proper treatment.

Though not adverse, some effects experienced are increased level of symptoms, drowsiness and fatigue.

source

Self medication as earlier stated is dangerous. Though it could be beneficial in some instances, they are a number of disadvantages we should be aware of. They include;

• With self medication, there's a high risk of Incorrect self-diagnosis.

• Self medication can lead to dependence, abuse and drug addiction.

• Without proper diagnosis from a qualified professional, the ailment could be worsen and can further lead to disabilities.

• Self medication leads to partial treatment, that is, giving all attention to the symptoms thereby, covering the actual disease.

• There's also the risk of wrong dosage regimen.

source

In conclusion, seeking proper medical attention saves us a lot of negative eventualities. Though self medication comes with it's own merits, the demerits are overwhelming and so, should be avoided.

Thank you @suboohi for organizing this educative contest. I'm inviting my friends, @bossj23, @professorlenz and @uduak3287 to participate and share their perspective on the topic.

    Thanks for reading my post.