Playing doctor- doctor with your body can lead to a disaster for yourself. Now, trending self-medication and self-diagnosis can lead to serious health consequences.
Dr Viral Desai, Board-certified Super Specialist, Cosmetic Plastic and Hair Transplant Surgeon, and Medical Director – DHI India, shares how dangerous self-medication can be.
Risks Involved in Self-diagnosing:
• Inaccurate diagnosis: diagnosing a condition by reading something on the internet can lead to a delayed or incorrect treatment
• Covering up underlying symptoms: taking symptomatic medicines by yourself can subside the underlying condition for an acute period, making it harder to diagnose the root cause.
• Ignoring allergies: allergic reactions or cross interactions with other medications are a common complication in such cases.
Potential damage of self-medication:
• Adverse reactions allergy, overdose, or underdose, can be caused if the individual proceeds with an unprescribed treatment. It can also worsen the underlying condition if not treated on time.
• Addiction: sleeping pills being the most common example; such dependencies can be a result of long-term ingestion of medicines without medical supervision.
What can you do ??
• Seek medical attention: if symptoms are present, consult a doctor for further medical assistance.
• Medical supervision should be under your doctor’s supervision & follow their instructions.
• Doctors have the training and expertise to diagnose conditions accurately; hence, their opinion matters.
• Be on a regular follow-up to monitor your progress, get treatment plans & provide follow ups.
Playing doctor with your body can be dangerous, and as discussed, self-diagnosis and medication can lead to serious health issues. To ensure an accurate diagnosis, treatment, and better health, consulting a medical practitioner according to your concerns is recommended. So, prioritize your health and seek medical attention when needed.
