by Dr Parvaiz Ahmad Mir
Though it may offer temporary relief, self-medication is ultimately a perilous gamble. Choosing a drug for convenience, without medical oversight, can carry consequences that last a lifetime.
In today’s frenetic, high-pressure world, it is not difficult to grasp why so many people reach for a drug rather than a prescription. A headache? Take a painkiller. Trouble sleeping? Swallow a sleeping pill. Feeling anxious? There is something for that too—no questions asked. Yet, the darker side of self-medication remains a pressing public health concern, too often overlooked in our culture of convenience. Used judiciously, self-medication may offer relief for minor, short-lived ailments. But when practised carelessly, or without proper understanding, it becomes a ticking time bomb.
More and more individuals are turning to over-the-counter drugs, home remedies, and even leftover prescriptions in place of professional medical advice. Many are driven by the assumption that if a drug is available without a prescription, it must be safe. Painkillers, for instance, rank among the most frequently misused substances globally.
Medications containing paracetamol, when taken routinely, may inflict irreversible damage on the liver or kidneys. Likewise, sleep aids and anti-anxiety drugs carry the risk of dependency and are often misused in the absence of informed guidance. In numerous regions, antibiotics are consumed without a prescription, fuelling the rise of superbugs—drug-resistant bacteria that endanger lives on a global scale.
The issue, however, extends beyond personal health. Self-medication has become a systemic problem, exposing deeper failings in public awareness, healthcare affordability, and access. When people cannot afford a doctor or must wait weeks for an appointment, they opt for what is immediate, cheap, and within reach. The question then arises—who bears responsibility?
Although the healthcare system bears part of the responsibility, accountability does not end there. As a society, we must come to terms with the fact that better health does not necessarily equate to increased medication. Self-medication stretches beyond physical ailments. A growing number of individuals resort to mood enhancers, anti-anxiety tablets, or sleeping aids without undergoing any psychological assessment. Beyond the heightened risk of dependency, such habits can mask more severe mental health issues that demand professional intervention.
“Using pills as emotional bandages can delay necessary therapy and exacerbate conditions such as depression or anxiety,” says a psychiatrist from the Medical College in Srinagar. “We have seen patients develop full-blown panic disorders after relying on sedatives purchased online or prescribed casually by friends—disorders that went untreated for years.”
The breadth of self-medication is not merely anecdotal. Data supports the trend, and the figures are unsettling. A 2024 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) states that one in five people globally admits to self-medicating with prescription drugs without consulting a healthcare provider. In low- and middle-income countries, that figure exceeds 40 per cent, driven largely by limited access to affordable healthcare.
In India, a 2023 survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that 76 per cent of urban respondents had taken medication without a prescription in the previous six months. Sixty-two per cent admitted to using leftover antibiotics from past prescriptions or obtaining them directly from pharmacists without medical advice. Alarmingly, 28 per cent confessed to adjusting their dosages based on information found online.
Public health experts are calling for more robust awareness campaigns, accessible healthcare, and tighter regulations on drug sales. Yet the onus lies not only with governments and medical institutions; individuals too must take responsibility. Being informed, questioning sources, and consulting trained professionals can mean the difference between recovery and catastrophe. Drugs are potent tools, but when misused or treated with indifference, they can become poisonous. As the saying goes, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”—a truth that finds no sharper relevance than in the misuse of medicines intended to heal.
Healthcare experts are advocating for a multifaceted strategy to confront the growing crisis of self-medication. Central to this approach is the stricter enforcement of prescription-only regulations and tighter controls on the sale of over-the-counter medicines. Simultaneously, there is a pressing need for public education campaigns that highlight the dangers associated with self-medication. Pharmacists must be trained to resist the casual dispensing of potentially harmful drugs, recognising their crucial role as gatekeepers of public health.
Equally important is the expansion of primary healthcare services, particularly in underserved and rural regions, where the scarcity of medical professionals often drives people towards self-medication as a default solution. Though it may offer temporary relief, self-medication is ultimately a perilous gamble. Choosing a drug for convenience, without medical oversight, can carry consequences that last a lifetime.
One truth remains constant in the collective effort of governments, healthcare professionals, and citizens to improve public health: medicine must heal, not harm.
(The author works at GMC Baramulla. Ideas are personal.)
