Srinagar, May 09: Self-medicating and over-the-counter medication can be dangerous and it is always best to talk to a medical professional and ensure that the drug is right for you, doctors have said.
Dr. S. Muhammad Salim Khan, HOD Community Medicine, GMC Srinagar said that every medicine is meant for a particular disease and for a particular time.
“Many of the painkillers cause kidney failure and these should not be taken without the proper prescription. There are many patients who suffered kidney failures because of the painkillers. A painkiller should never be taken without doctors’ consultation,” Khan said.
He also said that there are over the counter drugs available and people have developed Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which is the biggest hidden pandemic in the world.
Khan said a simple Paracetamol overdose can cause liver failure or disease. “Eight gram of Paracetamol can kill a person and cause liver failure. Paracetamol is a big challenge and people take it unnecessarily,” he said.
He explained that many people also take steroidal creams which have negative effects on health and metabolism and can also cause many diseases and these are available commonly.
“At times non-qualified people give drugs to people. There is a need to tighten the regulations and the drug department should take measures as drug addiction is common,” he said.
As per doctors self-medicating or over-the-counter medication can be dangerous. They said before taking any medication, it is always best to talk to a medical professional.
Dr Masood Rashid, Critical Care Expert with J&K Health department said that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (pain killers) is very common in society and people take the medicines without the prescription.
“People purchase painkillers without prescription and take them for even minor pain issues. Chronic use of NSAIDS can lead to peptic ulcer disease, renal failure and heart related issues,” he said.
He said that people should consult doctors for acute and chronic pain issues. “Avoid self-medication. We have better and safer medicines for pain available. Physiotherapy and nerve blocks are better modalities for pain management,” Dr Masood.
“Quackery and self-medication has increased during and it will be having both short term and long term bad impact on many issues like antibiotic resistance, Hypervitaminosis, renal impairment, liver toxicity. Every patient needs to contact a doctor for proper treatment,” he said.
In self-medication, a patient is not aware about the dose, duration and side effects. “Self-medication is wrong and people should consult doctors before taking any kind of drug.”
Dr Masood said self-medication has become a fashion and people go for drug shopping monthly and they buy medicine without prescription. He said that the valley is seeing so many renal failure cases and dialysis centres are filled with renal failure cases.
He said that self-medication has serious consequences on the life of patients. “Minor ailments become major ailments through self-medication,” he said.
