Self-medication: the key to new diseases

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Extract from the article: Many households in Togo have a medicine chest containing drugs that they use to relieve common ailments. Some even use products on the advice of a parent or relative who has had experience of them, without the advice of a health worker. This is self-

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Many households in Togo have a medicine chest containing drugs that they use to relieve common ailments. Some even use products on the advice of a parent or relative who has had experience of them, without the advice of a health worker. This is self-medication. The reasons for self-medication vary from person to person. However, from a health point of view, self-medication is not without consequences for the functioning of the body, according to specialists.

Hardly a day goes by without someone somewhere practising self-medication, despite all the awareness campaigns. It's a growing phenomenon, practised even by the most unsuspecting people. According to Jean Claude Bakpatina, a general practitioner at the Clinique Floreal in Lomé, « self-medication is when an individual resorts to a medicine on their own initiative or that of someone close to them, with the aim of treating an ailment or symptom that they have identified themselves, without having had recourse to a health professional ».

What are the reasons for this?

« When I have a headache, for example, I know that two paracetamols will do the trick. So I don't see why I should go and see a doctor first », says Toundé, 34, a carpenter in Adidogomé. Da Kossiwa, who runs a cafeteria in the Totsi district, also agrees.According to her, you don't necessarily need a doctor every time you feel something wrong.

For his part, Alphonse, 40, a sales agent for a banking institution, believes that « when you go to the doctor, he'll diagnose you with illnesses you weren't even expecting. And at the end, he'll give you a list of medicines to buy. I don't like that, which is why, when I feel unwell, I look by word of mouth for a product that can relieve me ».

While these products have an immediate remedial effect, this is not the case in the long term. People who self-medicate expose themselves to serious health problems.

Risks and dangers

For Dr Jean-Claude Bakpatina, the consequences of self-medication are harmful and regrettable for both the person taking it and those around them.Medicines are drugs, and great care must be taken when using them. « Their use depends on the patient's characteristics, such as weight, history and other indications.Failure to consider these aspects before use exposes the patient either to the effects of drug toxicity, such as liver or kidney damage, or to worsening of the disease by under-dosing the drug », explains the doctor. In some cases, self-medication is a way of hiding the serious symptoms of the disease. « This delays the doctor's diagnosis and treatment of the patient, whose situation could worsen, with the risk of a prolonged stay in hospital and death.The patient is a burden on those around him, who now have to give up their activities and worry about his care. The financial burden of this is clear to see », lamented Dr Bakpatina.

Mrs Holali, aged 44, customer manager at a hardware store in Lomé, was a victim of self-medication. She explains, « four months ago, I started feeling very bad about myself.Intense fatigue and other symptoms that I couldn't explain.But instead of going to hospital, I took tablets that my husband and children bought for me. They asked around about the medicines to use. But instead of relieving my pain, I created other problems that led me to hospital.Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a digestive infection.I'm now spending thousands of francs on my health, when I could have avoided it by seeing a specialist very early on ».

So to avoid harmful situations like that of Mrs Holali, Dr Bakpatina is urging people to abandon self-medication and consult a doctor when they feel something is wrong with their body.

To avoid self-medication, people should always consult an authorised prescriber, who could be a doctor, medical assistant, nurse or midwife. « If you're not sure about the dosage, always ask for advice. Some patients swallow ova or gynaecological tablets when they are intended to be inserted into the vagina. Others, for example, swallow effervescent tablets without first dissolving them in half a glass of water, or worse still, some hypertensive patients take effervescent medicines with a high salt content when they shouldn't », advises Dr Jean-Claude Bakpatina. For all these reasons, the role of the healthcare professional is emphasised.

Abel OZIH