Seni Ogunsanya was weighed down with malaria. He made a stopover at a pharmacy near his house to get an anti-malarial on his way from work.
Though he was having intense joint pain and high fever, he thought it an inconvenience going to a hospital for ‘ordinary’ malaria treatment.
Ogunsanya was satisfied with the zero consultation he got at the pharmacy where he bought his drugs.
However, two days after he began the malaria medication given to him by his ‘doctor’, the skin around his groin began to peel.
The next morning, he observed that he had sores all over his body.
When the peeling did not subside, Ogunsanya had to visit a doctor. After seeing the physician, he was told that he was experiencing allergic reactions to one of the ingredients in the anti-malarial he had recommended for himself.
He spent five days in the hospital before the sores healed.
Apart from giving him the right medication to douse the allergic reactions he got from taking the anti-malarial, his physician also warned him to desist from self- medication.
Ogunsanya learnt the hard way that he should not be his own doctor.
Many have suffered very serious allergic reactions ranging from convulsion to heart attack after taking drugs that were not recommended to them by a doctor or specialist, a practice that is popularly known as self- medication.
Self-medication is dangerous, yet it is the order of the day when it comes to the management of many diseases in Nigeria.
Allergic reactions to anti malarials
Consultant family physician, Dr. Segun Agbaje, who defines self-medication as the act of purchasing and administering drugs on oneself without consulting a doctor or some medical practitioner for a prescription, notes that this age-long practice has led to death and disabilities for many Nigerians.
According to Agbaje, some people will naturally have adverse allergic reaction to some drugs. He explains that during an allergic reaction, histamines are released into the body causing symptoms such as hives, rashes, itchy skin or eyes, congestion, and swelling of the mouth and throat.
He adds that an individual experiencing an allergic drug reaction may suffer severe symptoms which include difficulty in breathing, dizziness, fainting, anxiety, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea, diarrhoea, and abdominal problems.
Agbaje says that often times, patients do not know the drugs that could cause these allergies, a major reason why people must desist from the practice of self-medication.
“Any anti-malarial in the hand of someone who has no knowledge of the mechanism of how the drug works is a poison. It is dangerous to ingest any drug, because you don’t know whether you may have an allergic reaction to it.
“Many drugs can cause adverse side effects, and certain medicines can trigger allergic reactions.Some people react to some ingredients found in popular drugs that you use for headache and fever. If they take those drugs without supervision in combination with other drugs, the consequences may be severe; some may experience increased contraction of the heart and fall into a coma. Many more have died from the symptoms of allergies. A drug is not a juice; it is a chemical compound that can either have negative or positive side effects on your health.”
Allergic reactions to antibiotics
According to Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. James Ani, antibiotics are one of the most abused drugs in Nigeria.
Ani warns that use and misuse of oenicillin and some range of antibiotics can lead to mild to life-threatening allergic reactions in some individuals.
“There are some common drugs such as sulfa drugs, barbiturates, anti-convulsants and insulin that are known to cause allergic reactions in many people.
“That is why we say no one should just sell those drugs that contain those chemicals without having been prescribed by a doctor, who would have asked you some vital questions before recommending it.
“If he or she suspects that you could have a severe, life-threatening reaction to a particular drug, your doctor will simply rule out that drug as a treatment option for you. He will also educate you on the side effects of taking those drugs in future, just in case you want to buy it elsewhere.”
Whether or not a drug is recommended by a doctor, Ani says that patients should not ignore symptoms such as vomiting, seizure, sores and tightening of the chest when taking any antibiotics.
He notes that those symptoms could be pointers to the fact that the individual is having an allergic reaction.
Ani states,“Signs and symptoms of a drug allergy often occur within an hour after taking a drug. Less commonly, reactions can occur hours, days or weeks after. What is important is that you should not dismiss them.
“If you experience shortness of breath, tightening of chest, vomiting or nausea while taking any drug, discontinue it and inform your doctor so that you can be taken off the drug and the damage can be reversed.”
Source:punch
Seni Ogunsanya was weighed down with malaria. He made a stopover at a pharmacy near his house to get an anti-malarial on his way from work.
Though he was having intense joint pain and high fever, he thought it an inconvenience going to a hospital for ‘ordinary’ malaria treatment.
Ogunsanya was satisfied with the zero consultation he got at the pharmacy where he bought his drugs.
However, two days after he began the malaria medication given to him by his ‘doctor’, the skin around his groin began to peel.
The next morning, he observed that he had sores all over his body.
When the peeling did not subside, Ogunsanya had to visit a doctor. After seeing the physician, he was told that he was experiencing allergic reactions to one of the ingredients in the anti-malarial he had recommended for himself.
He spent five days in the hospital before the sores healed.
Apart from giving him the right medication to douse the allergic reactions he got from taking the anti-malarial, his physician also warned him to desist from self- medication.
Ogunsanya learnt the hard way that he should not be his own doctor.
Many have suffered very serious allergic reactions ranging from convulsion to heart attack after taking drugs that were not recommended to them by a doctor or specialist, a practice that is popularly known as self- medication.
Self-medication is dangerous, yet it is the order of the day when it comes to the management of many diseases in Nigeria.
Allergic reactions to anti malarials
Consultant family physician, Dr. Segun Agbaje, who defines self-medication as the act of purchasing and administering drugs on oneself without consulting a doctor or some medical practitioner for a prescription, notes that this age-long practice has led to death and disabilities for many Nigerians.
According to Agbaje, some people will naturally have adverse allergic reaction to some drugs. He explains that during an allergic reaction, histamines are released into the body causing symptoms such as hives, rashes, itchy skin or eyes, congestion, and swelling of the mouth and throat.
He adds that an individual experiencing an allergic drug reaction may suffer severe symptoms which include difficulty in breathing, dizziness, fainting, anxiety, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea, diarrhoea, and abdominal problems.
Agbaje says that often times, patients do not know the drugs that could cause these allergies, a major reason why people must desist from the practice of self-medication.
“Any anti-malarial in the hand of someone who has no knowledge of the mechanism of how the drug works is a poison. It is dangerous to ingest any drug, because you don’t know whether you may have an allergic reaction to it.
“Many drugs can cause adverse side effects, and certain medicines can trigger allergic reactions.Some people react to some ingredients found in popular drugs that you use for headache and fever. If they take those drugs without supervision in combination with other drugs, the consequences may be severe; some may experience increased contraction of the heart and fall into a coma. Many more have died from the symptoms of allergies. A drug is not a juice; it is a chemical compound that can either have negative or positive side effects on your health.”
Allergic reactions to antibiotics
According to Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. James Ani, antibiotics are one of the most abused drugs in Nigeria.
Ani warns that use and misuse of oenicillin and some range of antibiotics can lead to mild to life-threatening allergic reactions in some individuals.
“There are some common drugs such as sulfa drugs, barbiturates, anti-convulsants and insulin that are known to cause allergic reactions in many people.
“That is why we say no one should just sell those drugs that contain those chemicals without having been prescribed by a doctor, who would have asked you some vital questions before recommending it.
“If he or she suspects that you could have a severe, life-threatening reaction to a particular drug, your doctor will simply rule out that drug as a treatment option for you. He will also educate you on the side effects of taking those drugs in future, just in case you want to buy it elsewhere.”
Whether or not a drug is recommended by a doctor, Ani says that patients should not ignore symptoms such as vomiting, seizure, sores and tightening of the chest when taking any antibiotics.
He notes that those symptoms could be pointers to the fact that the individual is having an allergic reaction.
Ani states,“Signs and symptoms of a drug allergy often occur within an hour after taking a drug. Less commonly, reactions can occur hours, days or weeks after. What is important is that you should not dismiss them.
“If you experience shortness of breath, tightening of chest, vomiting or nausea while taking any drug, discontinue it and inform your doctor so that you can be taken off the drug and the damage can be reversed.”
Source:punch
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