Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Self Medication”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Self medication by the adolescent].

To evaluate the extent and motivations of self-medication, a survey was conducted among 376 adolescents aged 15 to 20 using both written questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. 84% reported having taken some drug during the preceding 15 days, 57% on their own initiative. The most frequently cited drugs were analgesics, vitamins, homeopathy and anti-inflammatory drugs. Psychotropics had been taken by 7% (as self-medication by 3%). Street drugs, mainly cannabis derivatives, had been taken by 18%. The most usual indications for self-medication were headaches (42%), influenza-like syndromes (31%), school-related stress (21%), fatigue (19%) and mood concerns (15%). Most drugs were obtained from family reserves. A multivariate analysis showed self-medication to be associated with complaints regarding headaches, past drug dependency, concerns about illegal drugs or family interactions, recent respiratory illness, and diurnal somnolence. Self-medication increased with age. There was no relationship between self-medication and gender, citizenship, parental education level, or parental drug taking. Nor was self-medication related to knowledge about pharmaceuticals, assessed by specific questions. These results support the interpretation of self-medication mainly as a learned response to psychic/somatic ill-being. An optimal utility/risk ratio for self-prescribed drugs would require public health action and global involvement of practitioners.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Self-medication among Finnish young men in the beginning of common military service.

PURPOSE: Little is known about self-medication in adolescent and young adult males, particularly in ones exposed to increased stress. The objective of this article is to analyze self-medication and its predictors in young Finnish men at entry into common military service. METHODS: The responding men (n = 857) from nine brigades anonymously completed a self-administered questionnaire during the first conscription days before active military training in July 1999. The effect of pre-disposing, need and health behavior variables on self-medication was assessed using Andersen et al. theoretical health care utilization model. RESULTS: In the 2 weeks preceding the survey, 65% of the men reported self-medication. Self-medication for pain or common cold symptoms was reported by 54% while 8% had taken caffeine tablets or other stimulants. Multivariate analysis on overall self-medication showed an association with brigade and using health services before the conscription. Along with pre-disposing variables, need variables were associated with self-medication for pain or common cold symptoms and self-medication with stimulants. Stimulant use was also associated with health behaviors such as trial with illegal drugs during lifetime. CONCLUSIONS: Young men frequently self-medicate at the initial stage of conscription that may pose them at an increased risk for adverse effects of medicines or other medical problems. The military and civilian primary health care providers should discuss the proper use of self-medication with young men.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Self-medication with over-the-counter (OTC) preparations in Germany].

Self-medication with OTC drugs is attracting attention in developed countries. This study examines prevalence and determinants of OTC drug use in a representative sample of German adults aged 18-79 years. A total of 7099 participants of the Drug Utilisation Survey were interviewed regarding drug use including OTC use within the last 7 days prior to the interview. This survey is a part of the representative German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998. Complete information is available from 3393 men and 3594 women: 17.6% of men and 10.8% of women use self-medicated OTC drugs exclusively, whereas 12.3% and 29.3%, respectively, use OTC drugs in addition to prescribed drugs. Besides sex, factors such as age, socioeconomic status and community size determine self-medication with OTC drugs. The most commonly used self-medicated OTC drugs are vitamins, minerals and analgesics. The most commonly reported indication for self-medication with OTC drugs is "prevention". Beside prescribed medication, self-medication with OTC drugs is an important part of drug usage for men and women in Germany. Health consciousness appears to be a significant factor to explain the prevalence OTC drug use.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Self-medication profile of ENT patients.

AIM: To describe self-medication habits of patients with otorhinolaryngological disorders to characterize problematic aspects in order to manage and correct them. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multiple-choice questionnaire was used to obtain the data, consisting of 17 questions about self-medication habits. It was distributed to the patients assisted in our ENT clinic, in July/2003. RESULTS: Approximately 83% of the admitted patients have practiced self-medication (without medical prescription). However, 73% of them stated that it wasn't mandatory to present a prescription in order to obtain the medicine. The most utilized drugs were: analgesics/antipyretics (90%), cold and flu drugs (78%), and NSAIDs (69%); antibiotics were the 8th (11%). Among the reasons or diseases patients believed to suffer from that justified the self-medication practice, we observed: headaches (76%), cold/flu (74%) and nonspecific febrile illnesses (56%); otitis, in general, was the last (12%). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the need for continuous educational programs about the risks of self-medication, besides appropriate governmental regulation and inspection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Self medication--a growing concern.

31% persons practiced self medication. They were more in 31-40 years (26.9%) and 41-50 years (30.8%). Males were more than females in self prescribers. Illiterate (23.1%) and graduates (26%) were more common self medicators, while labourers (26%) and business men (19.3%) were more involved in self medication. Fever (17.4%), cough (22.2%), boils (7.6%) and acidity (6.8%) were the common complaints for self-prescription. Thus analgesics and antipyretics, (30.9%), tonics (16.1) and antibiotics (10.7%) were commonly used drugs by the customers. Most of the information of drugs was from friends or neighbours (30.8%) or chemist (23.1%).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developing a patient self-medication program for the rehabilitation setting.

Self-medication, the ability of the patient to administer his or her own medication, can be useful in the rehabilitation setting in reducing the incidence of polypharmacy, medication abuse, and inappropriate medication usage. However, a patient self-medication program also introduces a variety of issues, such as defining each team member's responsibilities and outlining the steps of the program. These issues may impede the development and implementation of the program. A review of the rehabilitation literature yields little information about program development in the rehabilitation setting or about dealing with such issues. The purpose of this article is to describe the need for a self-medication program in the rehabilitation setting, the development of one such program, and ways to overcome some of the problems that cause such programs to falter.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

Self-medication with antibiotics and antimalarials in the community of Khartoum State, Sudan.

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of self medication with antibiotics and antimalarials in Khartoum State, Sudan and evaluate factors associated with self medication. METHODS: A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 600 households, (1750 adult persons), selected from three cities in Khartoum State, Sudan, using a multistage stratified clustered sampling. RESULTS: One thousand two hundred and ninety three (73.9%) of the study population had used antibiotics or antimalarials without a prescription within one month prior to the study. Eight hundred and forty one (48.1%) of the respondents agreed that they have used antibiotics, 43.4% used antimalarials, while 17.5% used both. Self medication with either antibiotics/ antimalarials was found to be significantly associated with age, income, gender and level of education. Overall, self medication with any antibiotics or antimalarials was least common among the > or = 60 years compared to youngest age group (OR: 0.07; 0.04 -0.11) and most common among the female gender (OR: 1.8; 1.4 -2.4), the middle income group (OR: 3.7; 2.6-5.3) and the university graduates. Self medication with antibiotic was found to be significantly higher among females (OR: 1.5; 1.16-1.87), middle aged respondents aged 40-59 (OR: 2.1; 1.5-3.0) compared to younger respondents. Lower income and higher level of education was also found to be significantly associated with the increase risk of self medicating with antibiotic. Increase risk for self medication with antimalarials were, however, found to be significantly associated with male gender and younger age group of < 40 years and middle income earners and less educated respondents. The main reason that was indicated for the self-medication was financial constraints. The main source of medicines was the private pharmacies, which were regarded as a cheaper alternative to other primary healthcare sources. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics/antimalarials in Khartoum State, Sudan is alarmingly high. Self medication behaviour varies significantly with a number of socio-economic characteristics. Given the growing global resistance for antibiotic and documented health issues related to inappropriate use of such drugs, our findings has major public health policy implications for countries like Sudan.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

An integrated psychology for the addictions: beyond the Self-Medication Hypothesis.

The Self-Medication Hypothesis (SMH) is a popular explanation for chemical dependencies. The SMH ignores or leaves out important biological research which has explored the mechanisms of reward, motivation to use alcohol/drugs, as well as the impact on mood of chronic, excessive alcohol/drug use. A new psychology is needed which includes this biological research as well as the psychological observations contained in the SMH. Self Psychology is used to create an integrated psychology for the addictions.

Alcoholics Anonymous↗
PubMed1997

Appropriateness of self-medication: method development and testing in urban Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Most illness episodes are treated by self-medication, however, little is known about the appropriateness of this self-medication. Moreover, tools to evaluate the appropriateness of self-medication still need to be developed. In order to monitor the use of drugs by the general public, we developed methodology (for evaluation of the appropriateness of self-medication) that would be reproducible and would therefore allow comparison over time and between regions. METHOD: For each complaint, criteria for appropriate treatment were set, based on evaluation of both the efficacy and the risks of the medications used. To keep cost at a minimum and to ensure reproducibility, no use was made of expert panels. Instead, only internationally recognized printed sources were used. RESULTS: This study used data on self-medication collected in urban Indonesia in 1993. After excluding illness episodes first treated only with traditional drugs, non-drug treatments or treated by a health worker, we found that self-medication used as a first action was appropriate in 16% of the cases. Fifty-six per cent combined appropriate and unnecessary components and 8% included unnecessary components only. Sixteen per cent of treatments were considered potentially harmful. Only 4.5% of the illness episodes were not treated. Analysis of these potentially harmful treatments showed that over use of antihistamine in children under 5 years of age, use of prescription drugs and multiple intake of paracetamol or antihistamines in different medicines were the main problems. The results of this analysis enabled us to set priorities and formulate recommendations to rationalize the use of drugs in self-medication. CONCLUSION: The proposed methodology should allow international comparisons and the evaluation of the impact of future interventions.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2001

[Iatrogenic risk of self-medication by the pregnant patient].

REALITY OF SELF-MEDICATION IN PREGNANCY: Pregnant women use self-medication readily. Such behavior must not be overlooked by physicians and midwives during pregnancy. More epidemiology data would be useful. IATROGENIC RISKS: Drug toxicity, generally related to the advancement of somatic development of the embryo and fetus, can appear at variable stages during pregnancy. Moreover, the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs are different during pregnancy. These facts must be taken into account when assessing the risk of uncontrolled drug use by pregnant women. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN: Obstetricians, midwives and primary care physicians caring for pregnant women should explain the risks of self-medication. The specific features of disease during pregnancy should be considered when giving relevant information.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of the impact of pharmacist's advice giving on the outcomes of self-medication in patients suffering from dyspepsia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of self-medication in patients suffering from dyspepsia by comparing changes in the Health related Quality of Life before and after self-medication of dyspeptic disorders. Another study objective was the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the pharmacist's advice-giving to patients with dyspepsia. Therefore the impact of the counselling by the pharmacist on the patient's health outcomes was surveyed and compared between study and control pharmacies. Moreover, the study analysed the influence of a special training on the services provided by the pharmacies with regard to self-medication. A beneficial effect of self-medication on the HRQoL of patients with dyspepsia on a weekly basis has been detected in the study. There is evidence that advice-giving and counselling by the pharmacists in self-medication have a measurable impact on self-medication outcomes. Moreover, the study reveals that patients value the information provided by the pharmacist. Pharmacists gathered the relevant and comprehensive information from the patients having dyspeptic symptoms and provided advice concerning OTC-drugs. Moreover, pharmacists frequently discussed the relevance of factors aggravating dyspeptic disorders such as lifestyle, drinking, smoking, and manner of nutrition with the patient. Training programs and treatment guidelines for the pharmacist seem to obtain a positive effect on his performance. The findings of the study substantiate the value of a pharmacist-controlled self-medication. The study results suggest that the quality of primary health care in self-medication would improve if pharmacists' involvement were even more intense.

Dyspepsia↗
PubMed1993

Prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among patients attending a clinic for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

To ascertain the prevalence of self-medication with antimicrobial agents among patients attending a clinic for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), we administered a questionnaire to and collected a urine specimen for antimicrobial testing from 551 patients before treatment. We defined self-medication as an antimicrobial agent taken on the patient's own initiative by self-report during the week before the visit to the clinic or a positive urine assay for antimicrobial agents at the time of the clinic visit. We tested urine for the presence of antimicrobial agents by a disk diffusion method using Sarcina lutea as the test organism. A total of 75 (14%) of the 551 participants were self-medicators: 19 reported antimicrobial use and had a positive urine test, 27 reported antimicrobial use but had a negative urine test, and 29 denied antimicrobial use but had a positive urine test. Thus, 29 (60%) of the 48 patients with antimicrobial agents detected in their urine at the time of the clinic visit denied self-medication. Self-medicators acquired their antibiotics either from their medicine cabinet (44%) or from a family member or friend (56%). Self-medication was associated with self-report of prior use of unprescribed antimicrobial agents (P < .0001). We concluded that use of unprescribed antimicrobial agents (usually beta-lactam agents or tetracyclines) among STD clinic attendees in our study was common and that self-reporting was not a reliable method of screening for self-medicators.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Self-medication in a Portuguese urban population: a prevalence study.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of self-medication in a Portuguese urban population. To assess the feasibility of performing these studies in community pharmacies. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was chosen to collect information about demography, use of health services and drug utilization in a sample of pharmacy user-purchasers in a pre-determined period of time. RESULTS: The proportion of pharmacies which participated in the study was 18.3% (11 from 60 invited) in Lisbon and 37.5% (15 of 40 invited) in Porto. Among the 3312 selected patients, only 2.6% (n = 114) refused to participate. The prevalence of self-medication was found to be 26.2%. The distribution of self-medication by gender was 28.4% for males and 25.2% for females. Use of self-medication was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.001) among individuals aged between 10 and 49 years. The main therapeutic groups used for self-medication, according to the ATC classification, were throat preparations, cough and cold preparations, stomatological preparations (antiinfectives and corticosteroides for local oral treatment), laxatives, analgesics, dermatological preparations, vitamins, mineral supplements and other alimentary tract and metabolism products. CONCLUSIONS: In the urban areas under study the overall prevalence of self-medication was 26.2%. Predictive factors for self-medication seem to be, a high level of education, professional status and length of waiting times for a medical consultation in cases of a severe health problem. Further research on this subject is needed to confirm the reproducibility of these results, since potential selection bias could have been introduced due to the method used for patient selection. Pharmacoepidemiologic research is feasible in Portuguese community pharmacies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Self-medication and non-doctor prescription practices in Pokhara valley, Western Nepal: a questionnaire-based study.

BACKGROUND: Self-medication and non-doctor prescribing of drugs is common in developing countries. Complementary and alternative medications, especially herbs, are also commonly used. There are few studies on the use of these medications in Pokhara Valley, Western Nepal. METHODS: Previously briefed seventh semester medical students, using a semi-structured questionnaire, carried out the study on 142 respondents. Demographic information and information on drugs used for self-medication or prescribed by a non-allopathic doctor were collected. RESULTS: Seventy-six respondents (54%) were aged between 20 to 39 years. The majority of the respondents (72 %) stayed within 30 minutes walking distance of a health post/medical store. 59% of these respondents had taken some form of self-medication in the 6-month period preceding the study. The common reasons given for self-medication were mild illness, previous experience of treating a similar illness, and non-availability of health personnel. 70% of respondents were prescribed allopathic drugs by a non-allopathic doctor. The compounder and health assistant were common sources of medicines. Paracetamol and antimicrobials were the drugs most commonly prescribed. A significantly higher proportion of young (<40 years) male respondents had used self-medication than other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Self-medication and non-doctor prescribing are common in the Pokhara valley. In addition to allopathic drugs, herbal remedies were also commonly used for self-medication. Drugs, especially antimicrobials, were not taken for the proper duration. Education to help patients decide on the appropriateness of self-medication is required.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Self-medication among Hong Kong Chinese.

A randomized telephone survey on the practice of self-medication in the preceding 2 weeks was carried out from October 1989 to April 1990 among Chinese living in Hong Kong. 1068 people were interviewed. Self-medication was a common and universal practice by Hong Kong Chinese with a prevalence of 32.5% in 2 weeks. Those who reported illness were significantly more likely than those who did not use self-medication (65 vs 18.2%) and to have used more than one item of medications (39 vs 20%). Chinese tonics were the most frequently used self-medications although they were the least known. Chinese medicines were used as often as Western medicines in the self-treatment of illnesses. People used self-medication mainly because they felt that they knew what to do. About 80% of the Western and Chinese medicines were perceived to be effective but only 49% of the tonics were reported so. Side effects were reported from all types of medications with an overall prevalence of 6.4%. There was a lack of knowledge of the possible side effects in over 96% of the self-medications which is an area for patient education. The popularity but the relative lack of knowledge of Chinese tonics call for more scientific research and better regulation on their sales.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Self-medication with antimicrobial drugs in Europe.

We surveyed the populations of 19 European countries to compare the prevalence of antimicrobial drug self-medication in the previous 12 months and intended self-medication and storage and to identify the associated demographic characteristics. By using a multistage sampling design, 1,000-3,000 adults in each country were randomly selected. The prevalence of actual self-medication varied from 1 to 210 per 1,000 and intended self-medication from 73 to 449 per 1,000; both rates were high in eastern and southern Europe and low in northern and western Europe. The most common reasons for self-medication were throat symptoms (e.g., dry, inflamed, red, or sore throat, inflamed tonsils, tonsil pain). The main medication sources were pharmacies and medication leftover from previous prescriptions. Younger age, higher education, and presence of a chronic disease were associated with higher rates of self-medication. Attempts to reduce inappropriate self-medication should target prescribers, pharmacists, and the general public.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2006

Patient self-medication--a change in hospital practice.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-medication programme (SMP) for inpatients of the Nursing Convalescent Unit, a 26-bed unit with medical and surgical patients. BACKGROUND: Self-medication is an important part of self-management of chronic illness. Self-medication is a way of allowing patients to give themselves their medications in hospital after receiving education instead of the usual practice of medications administered by a Registered Nurse (RN). DESIGN: The pilot study was undertaken over a six-month period to examine the relationship between a programme of self-medication and patient knowledge and adherence to medication regimens, number of medication errors, efficiency in relation to the number of nursing hours associated with the SMP, patient and nursing satisfaction. METHODS: A total of 220 patients participated in the study. The SMP included three levels of patient self-administration of medications: level one, medications administered by a RN; level two, self-medication directly supervised by a RN and level three, self-medication indirectly supervised by a RN. Outcome measures included staff and patient satisfaction, number of medication errors, time taken by nurses to undertake activities related to the SMP and the number of patients who achieved levels two and three. RESULTS: Study findings showed that 45% of patients remained on level one, 26% achieved level two and 29% achieved level three. There were no patient initiated medication errors during the study period. Efficiencies were identified in staff workload associated with patient discharge procedures. Overall, nurses perceived that the SMP increased their knowledge of medications and contributed to effective patient education. CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients, the SMP was an effective aid for improving adherence to medication regimens. Collaboration between nurses, medical staff, pharmacists, patients and carers is integral to the success of in hospital SMP.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Evaluation of self-medication prevalence, diagnosis and prescription in migraine in Kerman, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate different diagnosis aspects, prescribed drugs and self-medications of migraine in Iran. METHODS: We selected 210 migraineurs from high school and university students in Kerman, Iran over a period of 6 months in 2002 by multistage randomized screening based on the International Headache Society criteria. We classified them into 2 groups on the basis of whether they had consulted a physician or not. We then evaluated the physician prescriptions, and prevalence of self-medications. RESULTS: Only 49% of migraineurs consulted a physician, and only 53% were correctly diagnosed by physicians according to the International Headache Society criteria. Our study shows that 69% of general practitioners diagnoses were wrong. In spite of indications for prophylactic treatment, it was not prescribed in 76% of the patients, and 50% of the general practitioners prescribed it without any indications. Furthermore, 91% of patients used self-medication; Acetaminophen and Codeine were the most common. CONCLUSION: General practitioners misdiagnosis and mismanagement of the migraineurs, and easy access to various drugs in Iran, have led to a high rate of self-medication. Self-medication with Codeine, with regard to its side effects, such as increase of secondary headaches and dependency is the major problem. Consequently, medical education systems, physician reevaluating methods, and the concept of self-medication among patients have to be revised.

Adolescent↗