Self-medication

People who feel ill often take drugs they bought themselves. They do this for common illnesses. This behaviour is called self-medication or self medication. Usually the drugs are over the counter drugs. These can be obtained without a prescription. They can be bought in pharmacies. Sometimes they are even sold in supermarkets and convenience stores.^[1] People do not see a doctor. For this reason it is important that the pharmacist gives useful information about the drug. Studies have shown that people often think that they have a different disease, and that talking to the pharmacist can sometimes resolve this error. Depending on the situation the pharmacist can also recommend a doctor's visit.

Even if this behaviour is common, there are some risks:

• Certain drugs must not be taken together.
• Getting the right amount or dose of a drug may be difficult. Also there often is a maximum dose people may take per day. Taking too much is called a drug overdose and can be dangerous.
• People who have taken drugs for a longer period of time may get used to them. This means that to get the same effect, they will need a different dose. It can also mean that for them, this drug no longer works.
• Several diseases have similar symptoms. Finding the exact disease can be difficult. Sometimes, special tests are needed. An untrained person sometimes does not recognize the disease. As a result, he or she may take drugs against a different disease.
• Certain people do not support certain drugs.

• Using self-medication people can unintentionally hurt themselves^[2].
• For certain categories of diseases, there is a risk that the agent that is causing the disease (called pathogen) becomes resistant to the drug. This is often the case with antibiotics.^[3] For this reason, antibiotics are not available as over-the-couner drugs in many countrires.