Emergency Room Series: - Self Medication

This is a must read!!!!

I keep saying it is important to know enough details about a drug before you take it. Even if you don’t have assess to the hospital sometimes when you feel ill, there are leaflets in medicine packs, those leaflets aren’t there to decorate the pack but for you to read and learn what and what not to do as regards a particular drug.

 Not all medications that can be taken anyhow like paracetamol. You can even use the internet and not just make expensive assumptions.

A lady in her late teens was brought to the ER bleeding, she came with a guy that I assume was her boyfriend. With the presenting signs like bleeding for about two weeks, we thought it was a case of incomplete abortion or a miscarriage(her tummy was bloated). Her blood pressure had dropped critically low and her heart was beating so fast, trying to compensate for the blood she had lost. She could barely breath and had to be placed on oxygen.

 She was attached to a monitor and blood samples were taken as well as samples for pregnancy test. The pregnancy test came back negative. We assumed it was because she had lost the “pregnancy’ because the hormones that are high in pregnancy could have dropped so low that the result would read negative so a consultant came with a portable scanner to check her uterus but it didn’t show signs of a previous or recent pregnancy.

The lady herself wouldn’t talk, she was groaning in pain and crying. Because of the pain, we couldn’t get information from her so we had to wait till the pain had subsided a bit. She had intravenous fluids and painkillers but the bleeding persistent. The doctors asked when last she saw her period and other questions and she said what was happening was her period. I felt she was not being honest so I asked if it was okay for her boyfriend to excuse us.

The bleeding was unusual for a cycle, it shouldn’t be so bad that the body would derail plus it had been going on for too long(almost two weeks). When asked if she took any s#x related or hormonal drug. She said she didn’t use any medication but only took morning-after pill two weeks before. She also said her period came early. When asked how many times she took the drug she said 3times on the same day to make sure it worked because she felt she was ovulating and didn’t want to get pregnant.

Three times ke? That’s like taking postinor 3 times on the same day(not because you were vomiting each dose). The body would go overdrive because it’s an overdose.

Clearly she had no idea of how the drugs worked and when the bleeding came, she simply assumed her period came early until it wouldn’t stop and made her dizzy and weak.

She felt the more she took, the more effective it would be.

The gynae doctor on-call came to see her and prescribed some hormonal drugs which she took and within 30minutes she felt a lot better.

She was given the option of blood transfusions because her blood level had dropped as well but she refused and said she was a jehova witness and she would be fine. The doctor then prescribed some medications she would take to boost her blood level. She was later admitted to the ward where She will also be seen by the s#xual health nurse who would give her health education, leaflets and contraceptive options to chose from so as to prevent future occurrences.


his is one of many cases where people use drugs anyhow. If you’re not sure of a drug, it’s better to look it up online before taking it. Do not use drugs for what it’s not meant for. I’ve heard of people who open tramadol capsules to sniff it , who grind up paracetamol and mix it in their beer! 

Similar to this lady’s case, I’ve heard of people who try to use oral contraceptives to induce abortions, they take it with certain drugs, I won’t be going to that today. The message is clear, please do not abuse a drug, do not self medicate if you’re not sure of what you are taking. Drug abuse is sensitive and in as much as it’s rampant nowadays, it does lasting damages than the short good you think it does.