THE PROBLEM OF USAGE OF DRUGS WITHOUT PRESCRIPTIONS BY THE YOUTH

Introduction. Self-treatment, defined as application of drugs without prescription without consulting your doctor has become a common phenomenon. Easy access to this group of pharmaceutical. advertising campaigns and lack of awareness of adverse effects as a result of incorrect application makes drugs without prescription the medications which have become our first choice. The aim of the study is to assess the problem of the use of over the counter [OTC) drugs by young people living in the Silesian Voivodeship. Material and methods. The study included 180 persons from the Silesian voivodeship at the age of 18-30. The research tool was an author's, anonymous questionnaire. The questions included within it concerned, among others: frequency, form and side effects of drugs applied without prescription. Results. Despite the fact that the majority of respondents [57%] assess their health state as good, the overwhelming number of people (91%) report applying medications without a prescription. The most popular OTC pharmaceutical products include painkillers and vitamins. One in five respondents (20%) admits that he or she consumes more medication than it is recommended in the package leaflet. Conclusions. Very good and good health state declared by the respondents does not exclude accepting their medication without prescription. In case of treatment of intermittent or mild symptoms, the use of medications without a prescription — saves patient's time and unburdens health care system. This phenomenon, however, is a challenge for the public health sector. Actions must be undertaken which are aimed at raising consumers-patients‘ awareness regarding the dangers posed by improper use of OTC drugs.