The monsoon showers may have brought the much needed relief from the hot sun to people but have also fuelled a sudden surge in diseases – ranging from the ubiquitous ‘flu’ to more serious infections like ‘leptospirosis’.

While medics across the country are busier with larger number of patients flocking their clinics and hospitals, many afflicted folk feel increasingly confident of heading to the nearest chemist store and indulging in self medication. Pharmacists do agree that the trend of self-medication has been spiraling over the past years which often lead to improper consumption of medication. Thousands of medications are freely available to the masses ‘over-the-counter’, and just about anyone from your neighbour to your domestic help will gladly offer you advise on what works best!

Paracelsus (1493-1541), the alchemist-physician, in the 16th century observed that all drugs are poisons – of course if the usage is improper, irregular or irrelevant! What we as consumers must know is that any medication which may be perceived as completely safe and without side effects may lead to several undesirable or unintended consequences in different situations. Thus, our body reacts differently to the same medication under different circumstances.

Let’s take the case of a healthy woman who is now pregnant. She must be aware that many over the counter medication which she has always been accustomed to may affect the growing foetus in ways she won’t even know. Many commonly used antibiotics like tetracycline, streptomycin, painkillers like aspirin – all relatively safe drugs in adults – are best avoided at this stage. Infact even iron and calcium supplements that are routinely prescribed to pregnant women are not to be taken in the first three months of pregnancy when the foetus is the most sensitive to any medication taken by the mother. Even an anti – acne medication with certain retinoid based contents are advised against!

A clear understanding of the medication that they are prescribed for ailments such as cough and cold can help patients to do away with drug interactions, reactions and habituation. For example, Antihistamines are used for allergy symptoms and relief of a running nose but excess may cause drowsiness and sedation. Decongestants are used to relieve nasal stuffiness or congestion but can elevate blood pressure. Cough suppressants such as the Phensedyl, Tossex, Codine Linctus etc. containing the gold standard cough suppressant codeine are used to relieve dry cough, while expectorants are used to cough up mucous secretions but should be taken under a doctor’s guidance.

People with chronic diseases like diabetes and others must also exercise caution while taking random medication for seemingly innocuous disorders. Many of us don’t think twice before taking yet another paracetamol for fever or a diclofenac for pain. But, in such conditions where the body is already ravaged by the disease pathology, it is at a heightened sensitivity and many of these widely used drugs have damaging effects on the liver, kidney and other body organs. Inevitably such people are on chronic medication and interactions may occur if other medication is randomly taken.

Another factor to be taken into account by consumers is the possibility of individual sensitivities or allergies to drugs. Absolutely any medication can cause allergic reactions in any person. Many commonly used antibiotics, insulin-preparations and even aspirin can cause reactions. These may range from irritating or mild side effects such as nausea and vomiting, to allergic reactions, including life-threatening anaphylaxis. What is important is that past history of safe consumption of medication is also not a guarantee against future allergic reactions!

Misuse of medication by the patients even causes problems for the doctors! A common problem being faced by the medical fraternity is the spiraling rate of resistance to most commonly used antibiotics which is often due to improper or incomplete usage by patients. Some times consumers even get habituated to medication to achieve a state of false ‘well being’. People get habituated to a wide variety of medications including pain-killers, sedatives and others. This often leads to popular drugs being labeled as ‘dangerous’, not so much due to the inherent property of the ingredients but more due to misuse by the consumers.

Even though the regulations and standards to ensure the correct prescription based dispensing of medication are in place, they are not properly understood and implemented. It is therefore essential to enhance the levels of patient awareness of the side-effects that improper medication can cause. Often gullible consumers are unable to judge the hazards associated with otherwise harmless medication. It is therefore upto the physicians to make these judgements for him and to advise him. A great English philosopher-physician - Sir William Osler (1849-1919) -said, "One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses when not to take medicines!” Excessive or improper usage of any of them may lead to a host of unwarranted consequences. So, let’s remember to call on the doctor before you ‘pop-a-pill’, yet again!

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