<p>Taking advantage of this, ordinary people are turning ‘doctors’ these days. They have been treating themselves after going for a self-diagnosis. This dangerous trend has been on the rise.<br /><br />One of the biggest dangers of self-medication is that a minor health problem, that could be treated easily by a doctor, may become a major health issue over time.<br /><br />Dr Hemalatha working with Udbhav Hospital, says that the trend of curing oneself is increasing these days.<br /><br />“Because of lack of time and long queues at hospitals, patients are reluctant to consult doctors. Majority of the patients consult doctors only when they are not cured by self-treatment,” she says.<br /><br />She adds, “The frightening thing is that people ‘Google’ the symptoms and treat them with little knowledge about the disease. They take medicines with wrong composition and dosage. It will become fatal and cause adverse affects leading to death sometimes.”<br /><br /> She insists that a law be implemented in India like in foreign countries which says medicines can’t be sold without prescription.<br /><br />Suhas R, an M Tech student, says many people don’t consult doctors for minor health problems. <br /><br />“Some people really hesitate to consult doctors as they have to undergo various <br />tests for a minor problem. They either decide their own medicine or wait for the illness to disappear on its own. If it’s for a headache or muscle pain, self-medication doesn’t cause any bad effects. I prefer home-made medicines like kashaayas (a kind of herbal tea) for cold and cough, which work well, and also don’t cause any side-effects,” he says.<br /><br />But there are people like Nikhil V K, a student, who never attempts to treat himself. <br /><br />“It is always risky to take medicine on our own. If we neglect a disease in the initial stages, it will take a severe turn in future. Once the disease becomes incurable or serious, we repent it. Therefore, it is always better to consult a doctor at the beginning,” he opines.<br /><br />Rangaswamy, a pharmacist at Apollo Pharmacy, says that people buy tablets without prescription for minor illnesses. <br /><br />“Usually people ask for painkillers, cough and cold tablets without any prescription. As they don’t have much side-effects, we don’t bother for prescriptions. If they come for medicines for serious diseases, we definitely ask for prescriptions and tell them that self-treatment is dangerous,” he says.<br /></p>
<p>Taking advantage of this, ordinary people are turning ‘doctors’ these days. They have been treating themselves after going for a self-diagnosis. This dangerous trend has been on the rise.<br /><br />One of the biggest dangers of self-medication is that a minor health problem, that could be treated easily by a doctor, may become a major health issue over time.<br /><br />Dr Hemalatha working with Udbhav Hospital, says that the trend of curing oneself is increasing these days.<br /><br />“Because of lack of time and long queues at hospitals, patients are reluctant to consult doctors. Majority of the patients consult doctors only when they are not cured by self-treatment,” she says.<br /><br />She adds, “The frightening thing is that people ‘Google’ the symptoms and treat them with little knowledge about the disease. They take medicines with wrong composition and dosage. It will become fatal and cause adverse affects leading to death sometimes.”<br /><br /> She insists that a law be implemented in India like in foreign countries which says medicines can’t be sold without prescription.<br /><br />Suhas R, an M Tech student, says many people don’t consult doctors for minor health problems. <br /><br />“Some people really hesitate to consult doctors as they have to undergo various <br />tests for a minor problem. They either decide their own medicine or wait for the illness to disappear on its own. If it’s for a headache or muscle pain, self-medication doesn’t cause any bad effects. I prefer home-made medicines like kashaayas (a kind of herbal tea) for cold and cough, which work well, and also don’t cause any side-effects,” he says.<br /><br />But there are people like Nikhil V K, a student, who never attempts to treat himself. <br /><br />“It is always risky to take medicine on our own. If we neglect a disease in the initial stages, it will take a severe turn in future. Once the disease becomes incurable or serious, we repent it. Therefore, it is always better to consult a doctor at the beginning,” he opines.<br /><br />Rangaswamy, a pharmacist at Apollo Pharmacy, says that people buy tablets without prescription for minor illnesses. <br /><br />“Usually people ask for painkillers, cough and cold tablets without any prescription. As they don’t have much side-effects, we don’t bother for prescriptions. If they come for medicines for serious diseases, we definitely ask for prescriptions and tell them that self-treatment is dangerous,” he says.<br /></p>
