Self Medicating

Self-Medication is the use of medicines by own initiative. In the U.S. these term only is referred to non prescription drugs, because of the strict control that exists on dispensing medicine to patients.

In Latin America things don't work that way, all the big retail pharmacy chains worry about selling and not dispensing. This is why drug interactions (when 2 medicines don't mix) and overdose are great concerns in these countries. In the U.S. a pharmacist can’t dispense medicines before talking to the patient’s doctor and clearing the prescription. In Latin America the generic drug industry pays the pharmacist to change the prescription of the original brand for a cheaper medicine that hasn’t been through quality control.

Self-Medication is a delicate issue, that has been studied for years in third world countries and it still hasn’t been resolved or controlled. Did you know that the U.S. spends more than $5.000 million every year for the wrong use of antibiotics? And Europe $9.000?. Imagine how much money it’s spent (it’s not even considered for calculation) in out of control countries?

So think again before taking medicine without talking to your doctor, and if you are ever asked for an opinion or an advice on a prescription drug, just say you are not a doctor and that they should ask them.