A recent admission by Ministry of Health officials that the domestic market is awash with counterfeit malaria drugs has once again brought the pharmaceutical industry under the spotlight.

Apart from exposing consumers to grievous harm by being overwhelmed by an ailment for which they believe they have taken the right medication, counterfeits usually cause drug resistance in large segments of a population.

Because most of them contain only small fractions of the required medicinal ingredients, the disease causing bacteria or viruses are never completely cleared from a patient's system.

The situation is also aggravated by the fact that most counterfeits are sold over the counter without a doctor's prescription and most patients do not finish the required doses of medicine after noticing slight improvements in their health condition.

Medical practitioners say the risk of resistance to certain drugs rises with every self prescribed over- the- counter purchase of medicine.

This is because most diseases such as malaria and typhoid have similar symptoms for which people may prescribe the same medicine.

Abused drugs

Pain killers are the most abused drugs in the market. This is mainly attributed to over- the- counter purchases from most chemists.

Every morning, millions of people wake up with headaches and reach out for a pain killer without necessarily getting a doctor's opinion.

This trend is so common that it has been identified as the single most important cause of resistance to drugs globally.

Some people are also predisposed to taking higher doses of medicine than what has been prescribed.

Frequent doses of the same drugs could also trigger resistance because of a systems overload.

Overdose of medication is mostly evident for common complaints such as colds.

The medication is often bought over the counter to clear congestion, suppress the cold and help patients sleep better.

An overdose of these medicines causes nausea, seizures, dizziness, blurred vision, high blood pressure or even brain damage.

Overdosing is also common among those struggling with recurrent conditions such as lack of sleep, anxiety, head-aches and pain.

Most abusers of prescription pain medication get them from family and friends with similar symptoms.

Mr Humphrey Khaseke, a pharmaceutical technologist at KAM Chemist, describes sharing of medication as a dangerous undertaking that may expose the patients to grievous harm or even death.

"Over-the-counter drugs require a lot of care since pharmacists should first of all inquire the origin of the pain and advise buyers against sharing medicine," he states.

Locked up

Dr Patrick Kasiane, a Nairobi-based medical practitioner, insists that all prescribed medication should all be taken as recommended by the doctor.

Any remaining fraction of the dose should be disposed off to reduce the chances of someone taking them accidentally.

Prescription holders also risk causing harm to themselves and to others who may abuse them or use them to commit suicide.

It is important to ensure that all prescriptions are locked up to keep them out of other people's hands.

Keeping your over-the-counter medication in a locked medicine cabinet may help reduce incidents of over dosing.

Medicine should be taken over a period of time, which is normally specified and if not finished, it should never be taken when similar symptoms recur.