Before jumping into the literal meaning of self-medication, let us quickly point that self-medication is extremely dangerous especially when dealing with complex and sensitive drugs.

Self-medication is the usage of drugs without a proper prescription from a doctor or medical personnel. It is commonly practised in Nigeria where we constantly have to deal with the menace of malaria and other common illnesses. As it should be, Every drug must be prescribed by a specialist before being taken so as to avoid the side effects and complexities that might arise from the usage of such drugs. It does not matter even if the drug has once been prescribed by a doctor for the same ailment, one has to get a new prescription each time an infection or diseases arises so as to be on the safer side. The dangers of self-medication are numerous and some of them are:

1. Drug sensitivity: An important reason you should avoid self-medication is sensitivity to certain drugs. A drug that works for your friend might not have the same effect on you. This is why you should get your prescriptions from your doctor. Drug sensitivity may result in allergic reactions and adverse side effects and as such it is very advisable to get prescribed drugs from your doctor who knows your medical history.

2. Overdose: Overdose can easily result from being ignorant of the required dose of a particular drug. If you are not sure of how many tablets to swallow, please consult your doctor for a proper prescription. A drug overdose can be very harmful to health and may even result in death.

3. Drug addiction: When you keep using a drug without a prescription, it is easy to get addicted to that drug and this addiction results from drug abuse. For example, if panadol was originally prescribed to you by your doctor as treatment for a migraine, if you keep using the drug for an ordinary headache, a time will come when your body will get used to the drug and its effects will no longer be able to treat your headache again. You might keep taking the drug hoping it would do something and this invariably leads to drug addiction.

Always fight off the urge to self-medicate whenever you have health concerns. Ensure you consult a health specialist first. You can video call or live chat health specialists on www.nimerexhealth.com if you have health concerns needing attention. Call us on 09087776660 for more enquiries.