People take drugs without the prescription of a doctor for a number of reasons. While some aim for a reduction in the time and cost of clinical consultation, others simply trivialize illnesses and resort to self-medication.
Other factors could be due to personal insecurities and fear of job loss due to diagnosed disease, mental illness, quick relief of pain, depression or even ignorance.
According to Biodun Ademolu, a health information manager and teacher of many years, self-medication might seem right at first, but one needs to consider the potential side effects of such uninformed actions.
He revealed this during a weekly leadership session hosted by Freelanews, while dissecting the topic Self Development & Growth: Dangers of Self Medication and Drug Abuse.
During the two weeks of discussing the topic, Ademolu revealed that self-medication can lead to drug addiction, allergy, habituation, worsening of ailment, incorrect diagnosis and dosage, or even disability and pre-mature death. This is why people must avoid self-medication at all cost.
The facilitator, who is also a councillorship aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress for Ward 4, Abeokuta South Local Government in Ogun State, defined medication as an act of consuming medicines for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
He stated, however, that self meditation is the use of drugs to treat self diagnosed disorder or symptoms or the intermittent or confined use of a prescribed drugs for chronic or reoccurrence of disease or symptoms.
“Drug is any substance that causes a change in organisms physically or psychologically when consumed. Drug abuse or substance is the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over the counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in large amount.”
Ademolu said correct medication is observed by reporting any diseases to the physician at the hospital or clinic who diagnoses and prescribes the needed drugs to alleviate the condition.
“Self medication is the most common form of self care which is becoming increasingly significant in many countries. It is the selection and the use of medicine by individuals to treat self recognized illnesses or symptoms. Responsible self medication requires that an individual treat their ailments and conditions with medicine that are approved and available which are save and effective when used as directed.”
The teacher then listed factors that could contribute to self medication as urge of self care, feeling of sympathy toward family members in sickness, poverty and ignorance.
Others, according to the health officer, were misbeliefs, extensive advertisement of drugs, availability of ordered drugs in pharmacy and lack of easy access to professional health care services.
He confirmed that the type of drugs most frequently used for self medication are antibiotics (31%) analgesics (23%) cough suppressants (8%) multivitamins (6%) and anthelmintics (4%).
Talking about the dangers inherent in self medication, Ademolu mentioned expired medications. He revealed that all drugs have their expiring dates. It might not work effectively or be safe to use.
“As many that practice self medications don’t even check at times, which is dangerous to consume.”
Also, he said that undiagnosed underlying conditions pose danger to health.
“This means you are letting an underlying conditions go untreated. Symptoms like persistence fever and rash could be associated with underlying medical conditions that require proper diagnosis to be effectively treated. This could increase your risk of developing serious complications and it could lead to body malfunction or death.”
Ademolu also mentioned antibiotic misuse, which allows bacteria develop the ability to resist effects of antibiotics.
“This prevents the antibiotics from working effectively. The bacteria can then multiply, resulting in higher numbers of bacteria that are resistant to your medications.”
Another danger included mixing medications. “This happens when you take multiply medications on your own, you run the risk of taking medications that should not be used together for safety reasons. For instance, taking Viagra and heart medications simultaneously can cause a massive drop in blood pressure and trigger heart attack.”
Inaccurate dosage was also listed. According to the health information manager, this could simply be life-threatening.
“When you estimate your own dosage, you are at risk for taking enough to result in an accidental overdose.”
Drug abuse commonly used illegal drugs include marijuana, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines and club drugs.
“Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. While Drug abuse or substance abuse refers to the use of certain chemicals for the purpose of creating pleasurable effects on the brain.”
In enumerating the causes of drug abuse, Ademolu mentioned the following:
- Curiosity and peer pressure, especially among school children and young adults
The use of prescription drugs that were originally intended to target pain relief may have turned into recreational use and become addictive
Chemicals may be used as part of religious practices or rituals
Recreational purposes: As a means of obtaining creative inspiration
He said drugs of abuse fall into three groups, namely depressants, which cause depression of the brain’s faculties and examples include sleeping pills (barbiturates) and heroin; stimulants, which cause stimulation of the brain, giving rise to alertness and increased bursts of activity.
“A rapid heart rate, dilated pupils, raised blood pressure, nausea or vomiting and behavioural changes such as agitation, and impaired judgement may also result. In severe cases, there may be delusional psychosis which can occur with the use of cocaine and amphetamines.”
And the last category, according to Ademolu, was hallucinogens. These cause hallucinations and an “out of this world” feeling of dissociation from oneself.
“Hallucinogens may cause distorted sensory perception, delusion, paranoia and even depression. Examples includes ecstasy, mescaline and LSD.
“Many of us abuse drugs for our own self relaxation. Some of us will want to force ourselves to sleep by taking some drugs even when our body system doesn’t call for it.”
Ademolu strongly advised against drug abuse as it poses grave danger to our physical health.
“First and foremost, drug abuse is very harmful to your body. Depending on the drug of choice, abuse can lead to lung and cardiovascular disease, stroke, various kinds of cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B and C, to name a few.
“Unfortunately, these aren’t the only consequences of long-term use. For example, using just once can result in a fatal overdose, brain damage, and/or infect someone with diseases that will stay with them for the rest of their life.”
He said drug abuse also hurt one’s profession.
“No matter the type of drug you take, abusing that drug can have serious consequences when it comes to landing and maintaining a job. In the short term, impaired judgment and lack of sleep from drug use can make you perform poorly the duties you’d otherwise excel at. In the long run, desperation from addiction can lead to stealing, lying, excessive absences, and other undependable behaviors that an employer will find unacceptable.
And mental stability…
“In addition to impacting your physical health, drug abuse can also take a serious toll on your mental health. Depression, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, and insomnia can all stem from drug abuse; or, if the person already had mental health problems before using the drug, those problems are often exacerbated by its use. In some cases, these issues can’t be reversed once a person discontinues use of the drug.
“The more you abuse a drug, the more of it you need to get the same effect, and therefore, the more money you need to spend to support the habit. Combined with the aforementioned detriment drug abuse can have when it comes to maintaining a job, persisting with this habit can have serious negative impacts on your financial future,” he said.
Other consequences of drug abuse, according to the health officer, were loss of freedom, relationships and the community.
“In conclusion, let us endeavour to consult the physicians or the clinic whenever we feel weaknesses or abnormal functions in our body system. Many of us want quick recovery without stressing ourselves. Self medication and drug abuse can kill. Always see your doctors for prescriptions,” Ademolu said.
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