ASSESSMENT OF PREVELANCE OF SELF MEDICATION AMONG PHARMACY STUDENTS

BACKGROUND: Self-medication has been defined as the use of medication (modern and/or traditional) for self-treatment without consulting a physician either for diagnosis, prescription, or surveillance of treatment.  Self-medication practice offers ease of access to OTC medications at a lower cost, which serves as an alternative to the costly and time-consuming clinical consultations. Safety issues are a major concern as many diseases have similar symptoms. Many studies have revealed that young adults are more vulnerable to the practice of self-medication due to their low perception of risk associated with the use of drugs, knowledge of drugs, easy access to Internet, wider media coverage on related health issues, ready access to drugs, level of education, and social status. Self-medication is significant among the pharmacy students as they are the future custodians of medicines and have a potential role in counselling the patients about the disadvantages and other implications associated with drugs. METHODOLOGY: A prospective observational cross sectional study was conducted in a Pharmacy college located in South India with a sample size of 568. A structured data collection form was used to collect information on demographic parameters including age and sex, accommodation, year of the degree/ PG program, drugs being used as self-medication and it was then analyzed. RESULTS: In the present study 87% of the participants were females. The main source for obtaining medicines was the pharmacy. Alarmingly, about one third of the respondents obtained antibiotics for self-medication without a prescription despite the fact that they were aware of the risk of development of bacterial resistance. The main reasons for self-medication include health problem being not serious, the illness is minor, to get quick relief of the condition and to avoid long waiting at clinics. The most common types of self-medications used by participants include analgesics, vitamins and minerals, antihistamines, etc.