If you have that habit of taking medication without knowing exactly what you’re treating, then you’re on this table. I was also with this pack at one point in my life. Many of the common illnesses in Nigeria are either tagged typhoid or malaria. As you can imagine, it’s not unusual to go in the pharmacy and take your pick of what was an unending supply of antimalarial drugs. Hospitals also charge exorbitant consultation fees, so it made financial sense to get the medication yourself.
Thankfully, studying Medical biochemistry and working in the hospital showed me a dangerous slippery slope to this practice. Apart from being a major sign of drug abuse (hello, health education topic from primary school), this habit was also a cause for many underlying conditions. Here are a few concerns to keep in mind.
Body Resistance
Imagine this scenario: a patient comes in one day and is seriously ill. The doctor puts her on a treatment plan with medicines to take to get well, nothing happens. After many days, the patient doesn’t get better. This is often the case when that person has been her own doctor and was treating herself. The organisms causing the ailment become resistant to the drug. At that point, it is now a case of trying to dig through granite with a plastic spoon to find a solution. This resistance is common especially with misuse of antibiotics
Drug Toxicity
Popping pills in at any given time actually hurts your liver. The liver is responsible for filtering out toxins from alcohol, drugs and several chemicals. The toxins from the drug will inflame the liver which at the end would cause scarring and could lead to death.
Addiction
Codeine was very popular at one point. It was first known as a cough syrup before people started becoming addicted to it. Eventually, people started to consume it on a daily basis and it became a normal thing, they wanted more. Tramadol, a pain killer also became addictive because of unnecessary consumption. Once the person is hooked, addiction becomes hard to break. The person becomes entangled living the life of a junkie.
Over the counter prescriptions might look like an easier way but it comes with a backlog of unhappiness. Get treated properly. Visit a doctor and find out what exactly is wrong with your health.