Sesan Kareem is a pharmacist and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of HubCare Health, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) digital medicine platform that connects holistic primary care with patients. In this interview, he speaks on the health implications of self-medication, things to note when buying over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, among others.
What is self-medication?
Self-medication refers to the practice of individuals diagnosing and treating their own medical conditions without consulting healthcare professionals like doctors, pharmacists or nurses.
It can involve the use of over-the-counter (OTC), prescription medication, and some people even use herbal remedies without a doctor or a healthcare professional’s consent or guidance.
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So, the use of herbal remedies without the prescription or recommendation from healthcare professionals is part of self- medication.
What are the implications of self-medication?
One of the major health implications is the diagnostics; you just assume that you have an illness, whereas that is not what you have. And without proper medical guidance, you may misinterpret one health condition for another, which would also lead to ineffective treatment, because if you don’t understand a problem, you can’t proffer a solution.
Also, sometimes people just delay professional medical care; instead of going to the doctor or healthcare professional to guide them, they do trial and error; and the trial and error will not work. By the time they seek professional help, it may be too late and they may have serious health conditions or challenges.
There is also what we call drug-drug interaction and drug-food interaction. The fact that someone is given a drug does not mean you can just buy that drug and use it, because drugs can react. That is why pharmacists and doctors help you understand which drugs you are currently using and see whether there wouldn’t be any interactions that would lead to adverse effects in your body.
Another thing is that sometimes when people treat health conditions arbitrarily; they may treat the symptoms and not the root cause. Example, they may have a cold or catarrh and just assume that they need to take cough syrup or paracetamol, but more often than not, that is a sign that your immune system is fighting something in the body.
Often, when you go beyond the symptoms, it could be you already have an infection or malaria or another health condition. That is why the immune system is fighting against it, hence you have a cold or catarrh.
So, most times self-medication prevents you from finding the root cause of the problem. It masks the underlying condition.
Self-medication also leads to drug resistance, especially when it comes to antibiotics. Because you misuse the antibiotics or overuse the antibiotics, when you take them, you find out that they are not working because you are not utilising them the right way.
What is your advice on self-medication?
People should consult healthcare professionals before taking medication, because they have been to school for years and practiced for years as well.
The knowledge is not just on the internet; just because you google something and find some information doesn’t mean that is full information.
So, the most important thing is to consult a qualified healthcare professional. And in our society, one of the easiest ways to get free medical advice is to go to the pharmacy near your home. Most times pharmacists give medication advice for free. And that is available for all and sundry, so that you have accurate treatment, especially when it comes to general health.
When you need advanced guidance, then you need to see a doctor or a specialist.
Adhering to prescribed treatment is also important. Follow the instructions you are given by the professional on how to take your drugs.
When you have side effects or don’t feel well, you can get back to your healthcare professional and give feedback so that they can guide you, instead of just stopping the medication or changing it without consulting them for proper guidance.
Also, some people share medication. If they have high blood pressure and a friend of theirs complains of high blood pressure, they will just say go and use so and so drugs. But when it comes to health conditions, especially chronic conditions, individuals’ histories and circumstances differ. That is why the best way is to talk to a healthcare professional and not share drugs.
You also need to be very careful while buying OTC drugs. You need to check the expiry date, look at the label, and you need to be aware of the side effects and contraindications.
Because sometimes people can just go in and buy OTC drugs without any medical assistance; which is accepted, but you also need to be careful and get proper information.
Another important thing is to get health education. Information is power. If you are informed you will know that you need medical advice instead of self-diagnosis. Information does not take the place of medical advice but helps you to make informed decisions when you are discussing with your healthcare professionals.
Is there any other thing you would like to say about self- medication?
Two things contribute to self-medication: the first is the convenience; you don’t need to go and see a doctor, drive there or queue. It is easy. You don’t need to pay for consultation. Paying for consultation is the reason why so many people resort to self-medication.
But when it comes to your health, you just need to prioritise professional medical guidance. It is your life, and you have only one life. Regardless of how convenient and cheap you think it is not to get medical advice, it is in your best interest to seek proper diagnosis and treatment from qualified healthcare professionals to achieve accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment and minimise the risks associated with self-medication.
You shouldn’t gamble with your health because it is the most important thing we have that determines the quality of our life.
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