title: Self-medication practice among preclinical university students in a medical school from the city of Pokhara, Nepal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In developing countries like Nepal medicines can be acquired from the chemist's without of a prescription which sometime may have many drawbacks due to intake of excessive drugs without a proper diagnosis. The primary objective of the study was to find out the pattern of self-medication practice among the preclinical medical students at Manipal College of Medical Sciences.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross sectional study carried out using structured questionnaire at Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal between November 2012- July 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate of this study was 95.31%. 81.35% of the students were practicing self-medication in this institution. Most common group of drugs that were consumed were antipyretics 31%, antibiotics 26.2%, analgesics 18.89%, antihistaminics 10.1% respectively. Paracetamol was the most common drug used for self-medication 31%, followed by Azithromycin 17.6% and combination of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen 15.6%, Cetirizine 8.6%, Amoxicillin 6.5%, Omeprazole 6.3%, Albendazole 3.3%, Mefenemic acid 2.8%, Cefpodoxime2% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical student should be educated through awareness programme regarding pros and cons of self-medication practice and they should be motivated regarding the rationale use of antibiotics. .
authors: Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, SSR Medical College, Belle Rive, Mautitius, ; Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
authors: Indrajit
authors: I
authors: Banerjee
authors: Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
authors: Brijesh
authors: B
authors: Sathian
authors: Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Pharmacology, SSR Medical College, Belle Rive, Mautitius.
authors: Rajesh Kumar
authors: RK
authors: Gupta
authors: Lecturer, Department of Pharmacology, SSR Medical College, Belle Rive, Mautitius.
authors: Annavarapu
authors: A
authors: Amarendra
authors: Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
authors: Bedanta
authors: B
authors: Roy
authors: Lecturer, Faculty of medicine, Quest International University, Perek, Malaysia.
authors: Pugazhandhi
authors: P
authors: Bakthavatchalam
authors: Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
authors: Archana
authors: A
authors: Saha
authors: Post Doctorate Trainee, M.Ch Urology, SMS Medical College, Rajasthan, India.
authors: Indraneel
authors: I
authors: Banerjee
keywords:  Medical students ;  Nepal ;  Self-medication practice 