Medicines are chemicals; therefore, not only they can have beneficial effects on your body, but also be poisoning and lead to death if you take the wrong pills

In winter, respiratory diseases are the commonplace and many times we look for a solution in pills we find at home or that our relatives tell us to take, being a risk to our health and even our life

That is why Julio Cachay, Internist at Clínica Ricardo Palma, tells us the main reasons why you should not self-medicate

1. Some diseases have similar symptoms. For example: If you take medications that you think will relieve flu, but you actually have pneumonia, you will be aggravating the disease. All medicine must be taken after a medical evaluation and diagnosis
2. Medicines are chemicals; therefore, not only they can have beneficial effects on your body, but also be poisoning and lead to death if you take the wrong pills
3. You should not self-medicate, especially if you need to take permanent medicines for a specific illness, because your old pills can cause cross-reactions with the chemicals of the new pills
4. It is necessary to take medicine in the proper dose, intervals and administration as prescribed by the doctor, otherwise, the consequences could be fatal

Dr. Julio Cachay
Internist at Clínica Ricardo Palma