Yet, self-medication is the order of the day in Nigeria, where anyone could walk into a Pharmacy or patent Medicine Store otherwise called Chemist in local parlance to purchase any drug in any quantity. It doesnt appear to matter much what category of Nigerians we are talking about, although, according to various studies, such practice is more rampant among the poor, rural dwellers and the middle age bracket between 25 and 45.
For example, in a recent study of the prevalence of self-medication practice among University undergraduates in SouthWestern Nigeria, published in the journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Prof Adebayo Lamikanra and K.P Osemene found that age, gender and a students level of study in the university influence self-medication practices among university students. This is particularly true of antimalarial and antibiotics drugs, where were targeted in the study.
There are three major reasons for self-medication in Nigeria. First, health care facilities are grossly inadequate in terms of personnel, equipments, and drug supply. As a result, you are lucky if you find a doctor who could correctly diagnose your problem. This is not to say that there are no good doctors. The problem is that doctor are only as good as the diagnostic equipment, medical laboratory and the allied health workers at their disposal. You can never be sure that all will be well with all necessary variables in your treatment. So, why go to hospital at all? There are, of course good private hospitals, where the slacks associated with government hospitals are minimized. But then their services are priced out of reach for the common man.
Second, the vast majority of patients come to ill-health with a twin deficit, namely, illiteracy, and poverty. On the one hand, illiteracy breeds ignorance about how the body works and how to evaluate symptoms of disorder. This often leads to patronage of neighbourhood patent medicine stores, where the store owner doubles as a doctor and pharmacist. On the other hand, poverty complicates matters by keeping ill-pateients away from the hospital. My wife recently took a sick child near her workplace to the hospital. The parents could not afford cost of the registration card let alone the cost of treatment, all of which my wife paid.
The third factor responsible for self-medication is the absence of regulations and guidelines as to who can purchase what drug and for what ailment. Such regulations will make it difficult for patients to have access to certain drugs without doctors prescription. I use the word difficult advisely, knowing full well that such regulations could be flouted as is the case with other regulations in this country. As they say, it often takes something inside a clenched fist to get what you want.
I must hasten to add that educated elite are not immune to self-medication, especially of analgesics, antimalarial, antibiotics and cough medicine. When I questioned one of them recently about the practice, he said he only needed something to bind him over until he went overseas for his annual checkup! When I noticed that what he bought were antimalarial drugs, I fruther questioned him as to why je thought he had malarial. His next response was dismissive, I know my body.
Incidentally, the negative consequences of self-medication are obvious to how much of your body you know. Without proper diagnosis, various drug complications await you. To start with, you may be taking the wrong medicine. Assuming the medicine is right, you may be under or overdosing. You may even be combining two or more drugs that interact because they are contra0indicated. The best way to avoid thse complications is to see a doctor for the proper evaluation of your condition, your medical history and your drug allergies so that drugs to which you may react will not be prescribed for you.
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