Preprint / Version 1

Over the counter drugs and self-medication: A worldwide paranoia and a troublesome situation in India during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • Ishita Ray aMahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, India
  • Rohini Sp fKerala University of Health Sciences, Kerala, India
  • Parjanya Bhatt eB.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
  • Ishan Jani eB.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
  • Suyog Patel eB.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
  • Erum Khan eB.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
  • Abdul Sahito dDow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Mohammad Hasan cDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail, Bangladesh
  • Mainak Bardhan bDivision of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India
  • Sarya Swed gFaculty of Medicine, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria

Keywords:

Self-medication, Over-the-counter drugs, COVID-19, India, Public health

Abstract

Self-medication is the use of drugs to treat self-diagnosed ailments without the use of a formal prescription. Self-medication is defined by the World Health Organization as the use of medications to address self-diagnosed diseases or symptoms. Over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals are medications that can be sold without a prescription directly to the client in accordance with the laws of each nation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing tendency in the use of OTC and self-medication was seen, with the situation in India particularly deteriorating due to lax regulatory restrictions. This has resulted in a slew of problems, ranging from a lack of drugs to severe responses due to overdosage and drug-drug combinations. There is an urgent need for more tangible regulatory control over self-medication and OTC medications to safeguard the uninformed populace from harm. Keywords: Self-medication, Over-the-counter drugs, COVID-19, India, Public health

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