Self-medication And Its Health Risks

Self-medication with antibiotics is on the rise. Along with this, some countries show very unfavorable antibiotic resistance, especially for outpatient bacterial diseases.

Self-medication is the use of drugs without a prescription and thus without medical intervention. What is worrying is that it is becoming easier to get medicines, either because of lower prices or their online availability.

For the sake of clarity, we want to say that by saying “without medical intervention,” we mean that no professional intervention has been used in the diagnosis or prescription , and treatment is not monitored. This habit is flourishing more and more at the moment; in some countries more than in others. However, most people do not realize how much they are harming themselves and the rest of the population through self-medication.

Over-the-counter medications can be used to treat minor symptoms such as headache, fever, and runny nose. However, they can only be used up to a certain point and for a limited time. You should see a doctor if your symptoms last longer.

In this article, we look at the dangers of self-medication as well as some healthy options.

Self-medication with analgesics

Unfortunately, estimates based on the use of these drugs indicate a massive exposure of the population to analgesics in all age groups and for a wide range of diseases. When used too indiscriminately or without expert supervision, these drugs can have serious effects on the kidneys as well as the digestive system and can lead to stomach ulcers and even cirrhosis of the liver.

Very dangerous form of self-medication: antibiotics

Unfortunately, antibiotics are sometimes bought or used by people who do not even have a medical diagnosis to justify their use. In many cases, people even ask for well-known drugs by name.

Self-medication with antibiotics is on the rise in many countries. As a result, people show very unfavorable antibiotic resistance, especially for bacterial diseases treated in outpatient settings. This is very dangerous, as it means that excessive use of these drugs makes the bacteria resistant to antibiotics and thus also impossible to treat certain diseases.

Do not take antibiotics without your doctor’s supervision. Their indiscriminate use poses a threat to the health of the world’s population.

Other cases

Here are other groups of medications and supplements that many people take without medical guidance:

External antiseptics
Vitamins and mineral supplements
Antivirals and cough medicines
Digestive drugs, laxatives, antacids and antilatulents

However, in this article, we want to emphasize the most important thing, namely the use of antibiotics.

Resistance to antibiotics

Self-medication, especially taking over-the-counter antibiotics, is a serious problem.

Antibiotic resistance is currently a global crisis. You’ve probably heard of it, but you may not be aware of the scale of the problem.

When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, it is because the antibiotics are no longer effective against that bacterium. These microbes thus develop several mechanisms to defend themselves against a given drug.

So what’s the problem? Why can’t we just use a different drug when another type of drug no longer works?

This is the current solution. However, this creates other problems as we start using new antibiotics and the bacteria become resistant to them as well. The problem is that we don’t have enough antibiotic options and they may run out completely.