MEDICATION USE AMONG CHILDREN WITHOUT A DOCTOR’S PRESCRIPTION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Having children take over-the-counter medications is a common practice and often happens with no guidance of a health care professional. Due to pharmacokinetic differences between adults and children, kids are more susceptible to adverse drug reactions. Besides, because of ethical, legal and economic issues, knowledge about the effects of drugs in this age group is scarce and limited. Thus, given that self-medication is considered a public health problem, this paper aims to analyze scientific literature about medication use among children without a doctor's prescription. This work also intends to contribute to the production of knowledge regarding the subject in order to inform health care professionals about the risks of drug misuse among children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This paper is a qualitative literature review that aims to study and analyze papers published between the years 2000 and 2015. The papers were searched in the SCIELO database through the following keywords: medication use; children; self-medication. RESULTS: It was observed that medicine use among children without a doctor's prescription, in most cases, intends to alleviate early symptoms such as fever and minor pain; however, this practice can lead to serious consequences, especially poisoning. CONCLUSION: It is very important to create health promotion strategies to guide and educate the population about responsible medication use.