Last Updated on October 24, 2022 by The Health Master
High time for Indians to stop self-medication
Self-medication with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines is becoming an increasingly popular and fatal practice around the world.
According to various studies, the global prevalence rate of self-medication ranges from 11.2% to 93.7%, depending on the target population and country.
Potential risks of self-medication include severe health issues such as incorrect self-diagnosis, increased risk of drug or supplement interactions, incorrect choice of therapy, and risk of dependence and abuse.
The pandemic has dangerously pushed Indians to adopt this self-medication or Doctor Google trend more often putting a serious threat to public health.
There are various reasons why this dangerous trend is catching pace in the country and requires mass awareness amongst people, says Dr. Chaitendra Gautam, Founder, and CEO of Aceso Health, which offers subscription-based integrated healthcare services.
The pandemic pushed the self-medication trend to an extent
These days it is very commonplace for doctors to deal with patients who come armed with little information and a lot of misinformation about their symptoms and condition, thanks to Dr. Google.
Before the pandemic, many studies suggested that in India as many as 50 percent of the people searched the Internet for medical information.
The trend has only increased in the past two and a half years, when people, worried and confined to home during lockdowns, frantically searched the internet to be assured that their symptoms—cough and fever—were not indicative of C-19.
Considering Google search as an alternative to a doctor consultation could be fatal
People need to understand that the dangers of treating Google as a Doctor or taking self-medication are many – it heightens panic and encourages self-medication and self-diagnosis.
Many people are in fact falling prey to Cyberchondria, a person’s anxiety about their health that is created or exacerbated by using the internet to search for medical information.
Google search for symptoms, treatment, prevention, and safety measures is just not an alternative to a doctor consultation.
The fact is there is no easy diagnosis
Doctor Google can be confusing as it throws up hundreds and hundreds of pages from websites, various online forums, social media, and videos offering all kinds of diagnoses.
But how can one be sure about the reliability of these online platforms that have delivered an easy — and free — diagnosis in the comfort of your bedroom?
A trained experienced doctor takes into account many factors before making a diagnosis, like an analysis of the patient’s personal and family history. He looks at the whole picture!
Sharing prescriptions and medication with friends and family is a dangerous trend
Many people even resort to Self-Medication (SM)—the usage of medications without a legal prescription to treat self-diagnosed symptoms or medical conditions.
SM also includes submitting old prescriptions to buy medicines, sharing prescriptions and medication with relatives/family members, or using leftover medications for the treatment of a self-diagnosed medical condition.
Self-medication has been widely prevalent in developing countries such as India. Several studies conducted in India showed the prevalence of self-medication as high as 37% in urban areas and 17% in rural areas.
It ranges between 12.7% and 95% in other developing countries.
Do not fall into the cost-saving, time-saving trap
While a lot of people rely on self-medication to save the cost of a consultation with a doctor, others have their own time-saving reasons too.
In addition, there are people who simply do not take their illness seriously and believe all they need to do is just pop a few pills and their problem will go away.
They take anything from cough syrups, laxatives, and antibiotics, to anti-allergy medicines, vitamins, and antacids without consulting a doctor.
But they fail to understand that self-medication can be much more harmful than they ever thought.
In the past few years, as consultation fees have risen, there have been demands to regulate them. A consultation fee for specialists in top-notch corporate hospitals is beyond the reach of many middle-class people.
Worse, it is not even covered in most individual insurance packages. No wonder then OPDs in government hospitals are getting more and more crowded.
Pharmacists willing to play doctors
In India, unfortunately, pharmacists also play a role in aggravating this problem. Many of them are more than willing to play doctors and illegally prescribe drugs based on their customers’ symptoms.
The need of the hour is to spread massive awareness amongst the public.
And as individuals, we need to understand that while we take full control of our personal health and wellness with the adoption of fitness regimes, yoga, and other best practices, medication is something that we leave in the expert hands.
Also, healthcare and product innovations can go a long way in making healthcare accessible to every section of society in India, and more importantly can help bring about the necessary perception change for self-medication.
Dr. Chaitendra Gautam, Founder and CEO of Aceso Health
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are sole of the author and The Health Master does not necessarily subscribe to it. The Health Master shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly.)
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