The self-medication practice in primary dysmenorrhea among pharmacy students-a cross-sectional questionnaire study

Abstract

Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most common gynecological problems among adolescent females which interferes with daily activities, affecting their physical and emotional aspects and has a negative impact on the quality of life. The pain is usually in the pelvis or lower abdomen. Self-medication for primary dysmenorrhea is a very common practice. The aim of this study was to observe and evaluate self-medication practice in primary dysmenorrhea among pharmacy students. This is a cross-sectional questionnaire study to be conducted among 50 females of age group between 18-25 of pharmacy college. The self-medication practice and features of dysmenorrhea were to be assessed with a 15 pre-validated questionnaire and the data is analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 50 students participated in this study in which 81.8% had regular periods. Dysmenorrhea was experienced in 79.6% with mild (30.4%),moderate(23.9%) and with severe(28.3%) dysmennohea. In this study 64.3% preferred self-medication pattern. The majority were Pharm.D students. The most commonly used drug was Meftal spas (mephenamic acid+dicyclomine) and for 96.8% the treatment was found to be effective. Among the 50 students, 57.6% have experienced ADR , majority with decreased blood flow. The Self-medication practice in dysmenorrhea was more among pharmacy students probably due to the knowledge of drugs, better awareness and greater access to drug information during their curriculum. This highlights the importance of creating awareness among students to consume drugs only in severe discomfort after prescription by the registered medical practitioners.