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| Edited By: Deepa Suryanarayan |Source: DNA |Updated: Aug 30, 2010, 01:19 AM IST
Two things one should watch out for this season: mosquitoes and self-medication. According to city doctors, 90% of their patients take medication indiscriminately, and even change combinations of drugs during the initial stage of any illness, especially if they have fever or headache.
“Self-medication during this epidemic period can be dangerous,” said Dr Prahlad Prabhudesai, consultant physician, Lilavati Hospital.
“When a doctor prescribes a particular medication, his idea is to arrest the progress of the disease. However, when a patient self-medicates, all he wants is to get relief from the symptoms,” said Dr Om Shrivastav, consultant on infectious diseases, Jaslok Hospital and unit head at Kasturba.
“The adverse effects of self-medication range from mild allergy, tummy upset, to fatal reaction or a reaction that requires hospitalisation,” said Shrivastav.
Many patients just visit the friendly neighbourhood chemist and ask for ‘golis.’ “Patients should never substitute the doctor with the chemist,” he warned.
Another problem, said Prabhudesai, is the fact that many patients with chronic diseases such as asthma bronchitis, just ring up their doctor and describe the symptoms. “Sometimes consultants end up giving advise over the phone. This is risky for the doctor and the patient,” he said.
Unfortunately, drugs are very freely available at all chemists in India. “The only exceptions are anti-depressant pills or pills prescribed for psychiatric ailments,” said Dr Khushrav Bajan, intensivist, Hinduja Hospital.
A lot of patients also prefer to read about diseases on the internet. “The problem arises when they self-diagnose, and then decide which medicine would be best for them,” said Shrivastav.
“One must realise that there is a possibility that even a simple headache could have a deep underlying cause, which could range from problem with the eyes, sinus, migraine or fever. It could also be a brain tumour or bleeding inside the brain,” said Dr Arvind Bhonsale, general physician.
