Self Medicaltion Practice among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Selected Hospitals in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

A considerable proportion of pregnant women are exposed to drugs that have potential harm to their fetus. The aim of this study was to evaluate self-medication among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Jos. A convenience sampling was used to draw 120 participants from three selected hospital. Results reveal a high prevalence of self medication (85%) among the study group. Reasons for self medication were that, doctors are scarce and expensive to see, prior experience about the drug and illness is minor. The most frequently used category of drugs in this study was analgesic followed by antimalarials, vitamins, antacid, antibiotics and herbal remedies. It was concluded that dangers of using drugs in pregnancy should be emphasized during antenatal classes and women should not be allowed to have access to prescriptions.