Please be careful with self medication
Since most patients view doctor visits as an additional expense, a lot of them usually opt to just go to the nearest drugstore to buy medicine.
The problem is that sometimes they take self medication too far.
For example, here in the Philippines, antibiotics can still be bought over the counter in some drugstores, even if it’s supposed to be by prescription only. Some people will just buy 2 pcs of Amoxicillin for their cough. They refer to Amoxicillin as “pang-ubo” (for cough) and they stop when they feel better. Which is not a rational use for this medication. Thus the proliferation of Amoxicillin resistant bugs. Sometimes, that’s not what they need in the first place.
Steroid eyedrops, are referred to “pang sore eyes” (for conjunctivitis). They don’t know that eye redness may be caused by lot of factors and steroid eyedrops don’t address all of it. In fact, some of those conditions may not require an eyedrop at all. Or the condition may require another eyedrop altogether.
Pinoys are also fond of keeping leftover medicines and taking them when a similar symptom presents months later. That would be fine for some over the counter medications, but even OTCs need to be given in the right dosage and the right timing, which they don’t always know about. Check, check, check what the right dosage would be.
Oh, and do not combine medications with the same components. For example, people with fever and body pain do not need to take BOTH a paracetamol tablet and another paracetamol-ibuprofen combination tablet. The latter would do fine. And if you’re already taking a medication which combines phenylpropanolamine with paracetamol for your colds symptoms, you don’t have to take paracetamol for your headache since your medication already contains it. That’s overkill.
The rule is — if it’s an over the counter medication, it should be fine for a few days, if taken rationally. But like the commercial says, if symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
Another great advise, doc. I agree with good safekeeping of common medicine.
Although it looks better and cheaper if we have many stocks in our medicine cabinet, we sometimes forget to check them before taking.
Thanks.
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:01 amBack when I seemed to catch every cold out there, I also would go to the doctor for an antibiotic. Then I read about the onset of superbugs and stopped that practice.
I now keep a huge bottle of chewable vita C in the fridge and when I start to think I’m getting sick I chew 6 throughout the day for a couple days and get a little extra rest. I haven’t had to go to the doctor since…(knock on wood)
May 4th, 2008 at 1:40 pmGuardian Angel — Yes, even over-the-counter medications can have side effects when not used properly. More so when supposedly prescription meds are used improperly. There’s a reason why some meds are OTC and some are prescription. But that presupposes that the person taking them knows the right dosage.
Rebecca — I don’t generally prescribe antibiotics if I don’t feel that there is a need to. Most viral infections get away even without antibiotics. But sometimes patients actually DEMAND medications like those and feel that the doctor is not competent if he just dispenses advise like increased fluid intake and steam inhalation instead of a pill.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:18 pm