IMPLICATIONS OF SELF MEDICATION

Self medication. An interesting thing to do, but a life threatening action that has made people addicted, and also, taken the lives of some people as well.

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At this juncture, i feel like talking about the side effects of self medication.

Some people feel this sense of pride when they indipendently administer medications to themselves. Though, where there is no doctor, this practice can come in handy, but not without an effect or two.

In my locality, when a doctor prescribe medications for headache to an elderly patient, after finishing the medications, the patient will keep the medication pack. Any time they have a headache, they go to the local drug dispenser, and buy that exact type of medicine for their headache. The even ask the drug dispenser to add "jara" (add more).

One thing they fail to understand is that; before a doctor becomeeligible to prescribe medication, they have gone through years of intensive training. Even after they graduate, they still go back to school for more knowledge. Doctors understands the fact that, if taken improperly, medications can be poisonous to the health.

I actually used to be like those patients, but with more knowledge, comes the responsible use of medications for myself and for other people.

my experience with a person that was self medicating

When i was in school, I had a friend and collegue. we were in the same class. He is asthmatic and he also has stomach ulcer.
One day, he became sick, i think, he had a crisis and he had blood coming from his mouth. When he got to the hospital, the medical team stabilized him, and he was back to health.

When he came back home, he began to buy a particular medication. Every day, before going to class, he will ask me to inject the medication to him, which i do. By the way, it was an IV medication, while he took the oral medications by himself.

In the hostel, we all played it cool. Afterall, he just came back from the hospital.

This continued for over a week, and i began to have second thoughts. I asked him about the medication, but he said that it was the doctors that prescibed it for him.

We all, in the hostel, became alert, after reading about the medication and how its users can be addicted to it.
Armed with this knowledge, we all refused to administer it to him, hoping that he will stop using the medication.

The next thing he did was to meet other people in the school, so that they give him the medication. Upon noticing this, we, the guys, warned every body, to stop giving him the medication, because we saw that he was becoming addicted to it.

After a few days, we saw him giving himself the medication. This when i knew that, he has become addicted to the drug. I tried eveyrthing possible, even siezed the drug, but to no avail.
The next thing i saw was that; he began to work in a local drug dispenser.

That is where i knew that, there is nothing i can do for him. Unfortunately, he was demoted, and had to stay extra 6 months in school. Its quite unfotunate that he did not learn his lessons, even after his demotion. His room was always filled with blood stained needle and syringes.

I tried everything i could. most times, when i see him with a vial of the medication, with the help of some junior students, i will collect it from him and break it. Obviously, he will want to fight back, but i have people there to stop him.

Even with all my counselling, the principal even counselled him, but he did not listen.

I dont know his state currently, but then, the entire drama made me understand that, self medication can be really bad.

Thank you for reading.

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