Abstract:
Self-medication is defined as a form of lay therapy, based on the concept of
consuming medications to treat and alleviate symptoms of diseases diagnosed by
the patient themselves, without professional guidance. It has increasingly become a
practice present in society and becomes a worrying factor, due to the risks it can
bring. When medications are used incorrectly, they can worsen a disease, as well as
hide certain symptoms, which can lead to allergies, dependence, intoxication and
even an increase in the resistance of some microorganisms, which can lead to death,in certain cases. Self-medication has brought difficulties to the health field, causing
distress and worsening quality of life, making it difficult for health professionals to
deal with patients’ clinical conditions, often having difficulty obtaining a correct
diagnosis. The objective of this study was to carry out, through a literature review,
research on the risks of self-medication and the strategies that can be used to stop
this practice, focusing on the importance of the pharmaceutical area in this context.
From this study, it is concluded that professionals working in the pharmacy area have
great importance in guiding individuals when purchasing medication, indicating the
correct way to ingest them safely.
