The self medication use among adolescents aged between 13–18 years old; Prevalence and behavior, Riyadh – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 2014–2015

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In Saudi Arabia, people have easy access to medication and can purchase prescribed medications, such as anti-acne medications and antibiotics, over the counter without the need for a prescription from a physician. Our research is focused on estimating the prevalence of self-medication and understanding the reason for self-medication because previous studies have shown an increase in the practice of self-medication globally and locally. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of self-medication among adolescents aged 13–18 years of both genders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In addition, we aim to identify the indications and external and internal factors behind self-medication, including the effects of gender, peer influence and parental supervision on the decision of adolescents to self-medicate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An observational and cross-sectional adolescent-based study was performed to estimate the degree of self-medication among 400 intermediate and high school students in private and governmental schools living in Riyadh between 2014 and 2015 using a multistage random sampling technique. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection, and data were tabulated and analyzed with the SPSS version 21 computer program. RESULTS: We found that the rate of self-medication among adolescents was high (94.5%). Analgesics were the most common medication used (87.3%), and the least common medication used was hormones (5%). A majority of the students reported that headache was the reason for using analgesics. The sources of the medications included the pharmacy (51.64%), followed by parents (34.33%). The results showed that self-medication was significantly associated with the type of school that the adolescents attended (P < 0.011) and the health status of the adolescents (P -value <0.035). CONCLUSION: Self-medication is highly prevalent in Riyadh, particularly among adolescents. Easy access to pharmacies was found to be the leading cause for self-medication. The use of these drugs was associated with inappropriate drug use and the deterioration of health status. Self-medication should be closely monitored and awareness should be increased with educational programs among students.