EDOVIRGENS, E. M. F.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/3693967730245727; EDOVERGENS, Emília Madalena Fernandes.
Resumo:
Self-medication is a real practice all over the world. The World Health Organization stresses
that this practice is the choice to use medicines that can be medicinal plants or chemical
substances in order to alleviate certain symptoms or pathologies. It can be practiced by sharing
prescriptions with someone from family or friends, reusing medications already used in
previous situations and using old prescriptions. Therefore, it is very important to know how the
female population behaves in the face of the possibility of self-medication. This is a descriptive
study with a quantitative approach, which used as a data collection instrument the semi-
structured interview carried out in the municipality of Cajazeiras / PB, having as a research
source the female sex. Based on the results, the high and worrying prevalence of self-medication
commonly practiced by women at some stage in their life has been proven. In the majority of
cases, self-medication was influenced by family members, friends and the pharmacy clerk, with
non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, followed by beta-lactams, analgesics and antispasmotics. It
was still possible to observe the ease of acquiring medications without a prescription, so the
medications are increasingly present in the life of the population. In this way, it is necessary to
increase campaigns that publicize the dangers and consequences related to the irrational use of
drugs, as well as greater sanitary control in their sales under prescription and actions of health
promotion by health professionals, working with campaigns and educational actions that
promote awareness and information for all in general. Thus, it is necessary to increase sanitary
control in the sales of prescription drugs, actions to promote health by professionals in the area,
as well as the increase of educational campaigns that publicize the dangers and consequences
related to the irrational use of drugs. drugs and actions that promote awareness and information
for the population.