"The Risks Of Self-Medication: Why Professional Guidance Is Essential".

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Good day, people of Hive! Welcome to my blog. Today, we're diving into an interesting topic:"Self-medication is important." But first, what does self-medication mean?

Self-medication is when we are using drugs or remedies without consulting doctors advice.

In Nigeria, self-medication is common, especially when we have been exposed to it since when we were young until we are now adults. However, many people overlook the risks of misusing medication without asking for the doctor's guidance. One major reason why we practice self-medication is because of financial problems. We thought that visiting a hospital for treatment could be more expensive than doing the self-medication.

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Self-medication is particularly common among the elderly. After being prescribed medication by the doctor or in the hospital, when the elderly see that the medication pack given to them by the doctor is finished for them to go back to the doctor or hospital to collect or buy more of it, they will take the prescribed pack medication to the over-the-counter (OTC) to buy the exact drug prescribed by the doctor. Unknowingly to them that there are drugs that they are doing now that look identical to the original, which can lead to further complications.

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Another thing that the elderly don't know is that before doctors become doctors, they would have encountered different training. doctors can't just prescribe any medication without knowing what effects it can cause us.

Let me share two personal experience to illustrate the risks associated with self-medication.

My grandma is fond of self-medication; when me and some of my cousins are still living with her, anytime we are having headaches or stomach pains and we tell our grandma she would ask us to use paracetamol or "Omi Adura (prayer water) to help with the pain. Though paracetamol can help relieve the pain we are feeling, it can't cure the root cause of the headache and stomach pain, which can lead to harmful effects if overused without asking for doctors advice.

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A similar situation occurred with my dad. As my grandma is fond of self-medication, my dad is also fond of self-medication thinking or believing that he could self-medicate himself without any doctor's advice. When he developed symptoms, he thought it was malaria, so he called my sisters and explained to them what's happening to him, so my sisters sent him money to go to the hospital to check what's actually wrong with him; instead, he used the money sent to him by my sisters to buy medication from over-the-counter (OTC), thinking that the drug of the hospital is also the same with OTC.

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In the middle of last month, my aunt called me and my brother, saying they had admitted my dad to the hospital due to him not being able to move his body from the bed and taht he was shivering. When the doctor checked him, that's how they discovered that it was a bacterial infection and not malaria. They had to call my sisters and explained everything to them, and they had to spend over #80,000 on his treatment.

In conclusion, while self-medication might offer temporary relief, it can be more harmful and risky without medical consultation.For us to protect and safeguard our health, we have to seek medical advice or guidance before we can start any medication, and also let us remember that health is wealth.

This is my entry for the Hive Learners Featured Content Week 130 Edition 01.

Thanks for reading❤❤❤❤❤.