20 Feb 2018  |   06:05am IST

THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF DR INTERNET

Got an ache? Or maybe an itch? Looking up the symptoms online and buying medicines based on your ‘findings’ might be a common practice now-a-days, but one that can be dangerous. Café takes a closer look at this growing phenomenon and gauges its possible ill effects

 

 

Sitting in the office every day for some eight-odd hours, Maria

Fernandes started feeling the effects this sedentary activity brings with it. At times, the backache would be so excruciating, that she started placing a cushion on her chair to make it easier. While this continued for a few days, Maria, whose daily routine hardly gave her much time to visit the doctor, decided to ask Google if there were any painkillers that could provider her quick relief. This certainly made a world of a difference to Maria, who continued to pop a painkiller every time her back started giving her trouble.

However, she self-medicated to the point of not noticing the pain anymore and became less careful and less aware of which movements could cause injury, an injury that resulted in setting back her recovery period had she sought the right treatment at the right time.

This is just one instance of self-medication – a worldwide trend that may seem to be the solution at the moment but could add to the existing problem in the long run.

According to medical experts, continuous consumption of such antibiotics also leads to antibiotic resistance and can further lead to new health issues like allergies or addiction.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that “new bacterial resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. A growing list of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhoea, and food-borne diseases – are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible to treat as antibiotics become less effective.”

Medical experts add that incorrect dosage can have serious repercussions and cause damage to liver, kidneys and other organs.

“It is worrisome when we hear about how they have self-medicated and made their assessment based on online searches that tell them what to take based on what symptoms. Every human body, every case, is different and care has to be taken before such medication is prescribed. There is a reason we are trained to give the right medication for your specific condition,” says Dr Umesh Kenkre.

He adds that what’s not fully understood is that medication has different forms and most of them have various side-effects. “Diagnosing the case early helps with the treatment and it’s better to check out these health problems early and not after trying out self-medication and then complaining about new pains. It is also important to be honest about self-medication if you are visiting the doctor so they can help you properly, “adds Dr Kenkre.

“Potential risks of self-medication practices include incorrect self-diagnosis, delay in seeking medical advice when needed, infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect manner of administration, incorrect dosage, incorrect choice of therapy, masking of a severe disease and risk of dependence and abuse,” says Dr Arjun Padte.

“There are also instances where the prescription for one member is passed on to another in the family without consulting the doctor, simply because the symptoms are similar. The assumption that the infection is similar can prove dangerous,” adds Dr Padte.

A gynaecologist also expresses concern about the number of pregnant women that are self-medicating or following ‘suggestions’ and calls for public awareness to be created to prevent this trend along with myths that get propagated online.

Moreover, there are many cases where one is likely to find a lot of information that is actually aimed at selling things that have scientific-sounding descriptions, but that nevertheless are often ineffective.

Besides all this, self-medication also leads to wastage of financial resources and often results in lack of therapeutic outcome.

“There was a point in time when I was addicted to painkillers and it was only when I suffered from a severe case of food poisoning that the doctors realised what had happened and how bad the situation was. I had to take a break from work to undergo treatment and all this could have been avoided,” says Pamela Figueiredo.

On a concluding note, medical experts point out that in a day and age of instant gratification, a pill is not a solution but just a part of the treatment and the idea is always to reduce the intake of pills rather than building a reliance on such pills as there can be no substitute to a healthy body with a fully functioning immune system.