OBJECTIVES: Being a topic meagerly explored among the targeted population, this study was aimed to assess the patterns of self medication(SM) practices among Indian homemakers in an urban setup with an insight into their familiarity with home remedies.

METHODS: A cohort of randomly selected 46 homemakers from an urban population were identified and provided with a semi-structured, self-made and pre-validated questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was employed for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Analyzed results brought out allopathy (76.08%) as the most preferred system of medicine for SM among the study participants followed by home remedies (56.52%). The most common indication against which SM was employed was fever (78.26%) followed by headache (71.23%) and acetaminophen was the chiefly used drug. Home-remedies customary amongst Indian homemakers constitutes a variant list including turmeric, anise seeds, fennel seeds, neem leaves, yoghurt etc. Clove (n=16) for toothache was the most widely used remedy. Most common source of information regarding SM was acquaintances (73.91%). Local shops (34.78%) [OR=0.54; 95% CI(0.281-1.048), p=0.046] and advertisements (21.73%) [OR=2.244; 95% CI(0.998-5.046), p=0.045] as source of SM within homemakers were notably significant. The need to achieve quick relief (45.65%) and considering one's ailment as minor (39.13%) were the usual reasons to resort to SM.

CONCLUSIONS: Essentially a wide-spread practice, self-medication is an aspect of modern healthcare which needs a cautious approach to encourage the practice with safety and responsibility. The need for an economic and quick remedy steers the population of developing countries towards conventional and alternative treatments. While the knowledge regarding such practices among home-makers is commendable, its escalating trend demands a more comprehensive awareness.