Pattern of Self-Medication with Prescription Medicines Among Residents of Ilorin in North Central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The challenge posed by inappropriate use of medicine is of global concern. It is associated with patient using his discretion to choose the type of medication to self-treat a perceived ailment and the choice of medication usually devoid of health care professional input.

Objective: The significance of this study was to assess the pattern of self-medication with selected prescription medicines among residents of Agbo-Oba area of Ilorin, Kwara State.

Method: The method was a descriptive cross-sectional study of residents of Agbo Oba area of Ilorin between January to May 2019 with self-designed validated questionnaire. Convenient sampling method was used to select the participant who met the criteria for selection.

Results: The mean age of the respondents was 38.5±11.8 with minimum age of 19 and maximum age of 70 years. The most occurring age group was 26-35 years and primary school level of education, and artisan/trader were the most predominant in self-medication. Among the prescription medicines, antibiotics were the most self-used followed by steroids and cyproheptadine. Females were shown to practice self-medication more than their male counterpart. Marital status and level of education were factors that influenced awareness of risk factors associated with self-medication among the study participants, p-value = 0.017 and 0.039, respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence of self-medication with prescription medicines was high and appeared to be more among female than male. Specifically, female misuse oral corticosteroids and cyproheptadine more and marital status and occupation type are strong predictors of their awareness of potential risks associated with self-use of prescription medicines.