subject: Why Are Self-medication Practices Favored [print this page] A lot of people feel pain and they don't let other individuals learn about their condition. For some reasons, they use alcohol or medications like methamphetamine, cocaine or heroin to cope with the symptoms. When a person ingests legal and illegal medicines without the right medical oversight, he is practicing self-medication which can be harmful as the person is not professionally educated about the effects of these medicines.
A lot of those who treat their disorders without seeking professional help have not gone through any formal diagnosis that should be facilitated by a medical specialist. In fact, many of them use alternative medications when they don't feel better with standard drug treatments. Most individuals who self-medicate tend to do so because of the expensiveness of prescription medicines. According to many addiction recovery professionals, self-medication is already a form of addiction although these terms are not really similar.
In the early part of the 1970's, the theory "self-medication hypothesis" was designed suggesting the possibility of individuals who endure psychological or physiological disorders to test out different medicines until they find relief from a particular medication. For instance, an individual who lacks energy or endures depression may prefer to practice self-medication using stimulants like nicotine and caffeine. Drugs like Valium or alcohol may make the condition of the patient worse so he can be addicted to stimulants based on the "self-medication hypothesis." The addicted individual may consume three or more cups of strong coffee every morning or snort cocaine to feed the addiction.
Many addiction treatment professionals say that some individuals self-medicate using central nervous depressants like prescription anti-anxiety drugs or alcohol. There are those who think that they will feel better by using drugs that make them feel relaxed which they might get from moderate alcohol intoxication. Intoxication allows people to release stress and decrease social limitations. They can also feel a calming effect by using barbiturates. Moreover, self-medication can also be possible when a person is able to borrow prescriptions from loved ones or friends or take more doses of drugs that can be purchased over the counter.
Self-medication is practiced by some individuals because of the concerns over the effectiveness and safety of traditional treatment regimens and prescription medications. Some people don't want to let others know about the real nature of their disorder so they prefer to self-medicate. Also, those who can't access professional healthcare choices may turn to self-medication.
Due to the illegal or short-term nature of some medications that people use to self-medicate, a lot of them choose to find another treatment course instead of struggling with uncomfortable withdrawals.
