Self Medication - Practice caution!

People have taken the primary responsibility of their own health.

Patients are ready and willing to play a greater part in the treatment of their own diseases and illness. Increased knowledge among people has given them a chance to be responsible for their own medication.

Medicines today can restore your health and improve the quality of your life; on the other hand if it is not used correctly, it can cause serious harm to your body.

Very many people end up in hospital and fail to get better because they have not taken or used their medicines properly.

Before doing self-medication, there are various things one should understand about the medicine.

• The name of the medicine and what it is supposed to do.
• How and when to take the medicine, dose and the duration of the medicine.
• Food, drinks, other medicines that should be avoided while taking the medicine.
• Side effects of the medicine, can it be taken during pregnancy or breast feeding
• What to do if you miss a dose.
• How to store the medicine

This is where the role of the health care professional proves important. They can give you information about your medicines. Using medicines in the right way is very important to your health. Only with proper use of medicines, one can get the medicine's full benefits.
Also one should realize the negative aspects of self medication and the importance of consulting a physician before purchasing medicines. Self - medications should only be used to treat minor ailments and it is the sole responsibility of the patient. Self medication can mask the symptoms.

Some times the problem that you are facing is due to an underlying illness and self medication will delay your visit to the doctor, making your illness worst.

In order to limit the potential risks involved in self-medication it is important to visit the physician who will help you to determine the exact cause of your problem. The physician can diagnose your problem and prescribe you medicines if required.

The Ministry of Health in UAE has issued a circular warning the pharmacists not to sell any medicines without proper prescription. This move will help to reduce the self medication problems.
Prescription medicines are those medicines which are available to the patient only on prescription from a physician following a consultation.

The pharmacist can guide you with all your medication queries. It's advisable to use one pharmacy for all your medication needs because the pharmacist can maintain a medicine record for you to keep track of your medicines. This way one can avoid medicine interaction. Make sure that your pharmacist has a file for you and that he updates it every time you take a new prescription.

Remember, medicines can help you only if you are taking it for the right cause. So let a physician guide you.