Experts warn self-medication poses serioushealth risks

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some health specialists warn that self-medication poses a serious risks to people’s health, saying patients often visit them suffering from various complications caused by taking medicines without medical advice.

Pajhwok Afghan News reporters interviewed a number of doctors in the capital Kabul and several other provinces while preparing this report.

The doctors say many people in the country frequently use medicines on their own without consulting a doctor. They shared their experiences in this regard.

Dr. Ziba Bahram, a gynaecologist in Kabul, said she had treated patients who came to her in critical condition due to self-medication and some had even suffered miscarriages.

She said these women had continuously taken omeprazole tablets and painkillers to treat stomach pain and reduce stomach acid without consulting a doctor.

Dr. Abdul Sami Stanikzai, a specialist in internal medicine in Kabul, said he had personally witnessed several serious cases caused by self-medication.

Referring to one such patient, he said: “A woman from one of the provinces came to us after using a medicine for a year in order to gain weight. As a result, she developed swelling in her legs and face. After conducting examinations, we found that her kidneys had failed and we had to place her on haemodialysis.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Syed Farid Shah Rafiee, an internal medicine specialist at WazirMohammad Akbar Khan hospital in Kabul, said no medicine should be taken without a doctor’s advice because no drug is free from risks or side effects.

He added: “During our work we encounter many such cases where patients come with serious health complications, sometimes even in shock or after death.”

He said most of those who had developed health problems due to self-medication had used painkillers, stomach medicines and antibiotics. In some cases, patients had also used medicines for nerves, blood pressure and diabetes without consulting a doctor.

Doctors in the provinces shared similar experiences.

Dr. Luqman Baik, an internal medicine specialist in northern Jawzjan province, said he had repeatedly encountered patients who used medicines without consulting a doctor and based on others’ prescriptions or experiences.

He said this not only failed to solve their main problem but also caused additional illnesses and complicated the treatment process.

He added that every day between five and 10 patients visit him suffering from stomach pain, severe allergies and drug resistance caused by self-medication.

Ferozan Sadat, a gynaecologist and surgeon in western Herat province, described self-medication as a “silent death”.

She recalled: “I had a patient who became pregnant after treatment. She later shared her prescription with eight other women. Out of them, four developed uterine cysts after using the medicines without a doctor’s recommendation and one of them died due to severe bleeding.”

Fazl-ul-Haq Farjad, an internal medicine specialist in western Ghor province, said: “During my work I have often seen patients who used medicines without consulting a doctor. Once a patient came to us after taking several medicines on his own for severe toothache. This damaged his stomach and caused severe stomach pain.”

Patients’ experiences

Laila, a resident of the Khairkhana area of Kabul city, said: “Once I had a very severe sore throat. One of my friends told me to go to a pharmacy and get an injection so I would recover quickly. When I received the injection, I developed an allergic reaction and my condition became so bad that my family had to take me to hospital.”

She said that after the incident her entire family decided never to use any medicine without a doctor’s advice.

Salma (not her real name), a resident of Zaranjcity, recalled: “A year ago I was pregnant and developed stomach pain. Without consulting a doctor, I took medicine from a pharmacy. Within a week I suffered a miscarriage.”

She said her health condition had not fully recovered since the miscarriage.

She said: “I wish I had not taken medicine on my own. My stomach developed a hole and since then the effects of the medicines have remained. Now I do not even take a paracetamoltablet unless I suffer from severe pain.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), told Pajhwok there were no exact statistics on the use of medicines without prescription among the public, but the practice was common.

He described self-medication as a wrong practice and said people should consult doctors because every medicine has side effects and must be used according to medical advice.

He said self-medication was a major problem, though no precise statistics were available.

According to him, taking medicines without medical advice can harm health. For example, the misuse of antibiotics can lead to drug resistance and other complications in patients.

He urged people not to take any medicine without consulting a doctor.

kk/sa