Self Medication- A rising trend, should doctors be worried?

Background:Rising availability of over the counter and prescription medication has led to the increasing trend of self medication. This study is an attempt to determine the prevalence of this behaviour in the indian population and also identify the type of disorders for which self medication is commonly used. Method: This is a questionnaire based survey done on 162 study subjects sent to them via E-mail and the data analysed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: As per our study prevalence of the behaviour of self medication was found in 70.3% of the population, which was similar to the other studies. Milder disorders like common cold, fever and headache was the medical conditions for which most commonly self medications were used. Allopathic was the most prevalent system of medicine for which was self prescribed.No association was found between age, sex and educational status with the pattern of self mediction. Conclusion: Self Medication has shown a rising trend which has its risks and benefits. Every doctor must be aware of this trend and must enquire regarding the same among all their patients. Patient education is key to making self medication a safe practice.