Consequences and what the Risks of Automedication

Abstract

Self-medication is seen as the use of pharmaceuticals without medical advice, where patients use drugs in an irregular manner, not taking into account doses or time of correct treatment. Brazil occupies the fifth place in drug consumption in Latin America, with high rates of hospitalization and death due to overdose and intoxication. Thus, the objective of the research is to highlight the consequences and main health risks arising from the self-medication of drugs, highlighting the possibility of using drugs of lower impact from the orientation of pharmacists. Authors report that among the major problems to reduce self-medication in Brazil are the governmental problems, such as the lack of resources for the Unified Health System (SUS), and insufficient number of within doctors health units. These factors make people who go through periods of pain, seek drugs in an inappropriate way, without worrying about possible health risks. The problem of self-medication reaches even children and the elderly, who are endangered by the use of pharmaceutical drugs often incompatible with their body. An alternative to the problem is the performance of the pharmaceutical professional who can guide the correct use of the drugs, reducing risks by self-medication. However, the need to implement strategies to raise awareness among the population shows the risks to health through self-medication.