Background: Self-medication is a common practice in developing countries and its prevalence is attributed to less healthcare facilities, reduced economic burden, and easy availability of drugs and local medicines. With the onset of COVID-19, self-medication has increased due to fear and stigma surrounding the disease and hospitals being considered hotspots of infection. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study and data was collected from 478 participants using a semi-structured, self-reporting online questionnaire. Responses were tabulated and analysed with the help of SPSS (V25). Results: The prevalence of self-medication had risen to 84.5% in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic. 80.8% of all males and 86.6% of all females who responded to the form used self-medication. Elderly people were found to have self-medicated the most. 71% of the participants self-medicated as they were anxious about contracting the disease. 50.2% reported using home remedies. Most frequently used allopathic drugs among the respondents were Vitamins and other dietary supplements (51.7%). Treatment by self-medication was found effective by 91.6% of the participants. Conclusion: Self-medication cannot be overlooked as it is most often suitable, cheap and effective. Awareness regarding the proper use of selfmedication is necessary, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as it can lead to drug interactions, microbial resistance or serious adverse effects.
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