Medicine Usage

Medicines have revolutionized our lives. They are one of the reasons for our longevity, alleviation of diseases and suffering. Medicines today have a very important role to play, and no, today we cannot imagine a world without medicines. However, medicine safety is an issue of prime importance. There is a lot of ignorance amongst the public about the proper or safe use of medicines. A very large percentage of people are ignorant about various aspects of medicines – care to be taken while purchasing, how they affect us, their proper storage, how they need to be correctly taken, at what times and for how long, what precautions to take while on medication, what happens if we do not use them properly, about side effects, drug interactions, etc. According to the W.H.O., more than half of the patients do not take their medicines appropriately. Irrational use of medicines leads to so many ill consequences – improper treatment, under effects, side effects, and this ultimately leads to delayed recovery, continuance of agonies and discomforts, often increased expenses, hospitalizations, and even premature deaths. Medicines are like a double edged sword – of great benefit if used correctly, but can cause harm if used incorrectly. It is strange, but true, that at no point in our lives – during our education or otherwise, are we given any formal or informal basic tips/information about medicines and their proper use. As a result of this common man is ignorant of the same, and whatever information they have is the information they have obtained during their own personal experiences or those of their family members, while using medicines at home or during hospitalization/s.