SELF-MEDICATION IN BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND THE ROLE OF THE PHARMACIST

Abstract

Self-medication is a procedure where the patient or his/her guardian chooses to administer medication without medical guidance or prescription in order to obtain benefits in the treatment of diseases or relief of symptoms. In Brazil, there is the habit of not only self-medicating, but also recommending medication to relatives, friends and family, which can cause serious damage to health. The pharmaceutical professional has a fundamental role in health promotion, and must act in favor of solidarity, health education and rational use of medicines. The present work is a qualitative study, it was developed based on existing research on the subject and its general objective is to present the risks that the practice of self-medication can cause to health, emphasizing the importance of the pharmaceutical professional in reducing this problem.