Background: Self-medication is to obtain and consume the drugs without the advice of a physician about the diagnosis and treatment. Medical students are different from the general population because of their exposure to numerous clinical cases and also the knowledge about diseases, diagnosis and drugs.
Aim and Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the self-medication practices among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 150 undergraduate medical students at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad from September 2021 to November 2021 after obtaining approval from Institutional Ethics Committee. A structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect information regarding self-medication practices. The study was based on their knowledge and attitude about the practice of self-medication.
Results: 150 students participated in the study. Out of 150 students, 136 practiced self-medication. Of them 86 were female and 50 were male. The most common reason which lead to the practice of self-medication was their convenience. Fever was the most common indication for self-medication. Paracetamol was the most common analgesic and Azithromycin was the most common antibiotic used for self-medication. Nausea was the most common among adverse drug reactions experienced by the students.
Conclusion: This practice of self-medication masks the sign and symptoms of underlying pathology, and thus complicates and delays the diagnosis. It also creates drug resistance. The practice of self-medication assumes a special significance among the medical students as they will be the future medical practitioners and play a crucial role in counseling the patients about the practice and adverse effects associated with self-medication.
Key words: Self-medication; Over the Counter Drugs; Antibiotics; Analgesics
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