The nature and extent of self-medication varies in different
cultural contexts and social and educational infl uences may be
greater than the infl uence of medical practice1-4. In the United
States, several studies indicate considerable use of ‘leftovers’,
drugs obtained from a family member, a pharmacy, or a source
outside of the country. For example, in a Hispanic neighborhood
of New York City, it was found that antimicrobial drugs were
available without a prescription. In Europe, studies describing
self-medication and storage of antimicrobial drugs in Spain,
Greece, Russia, and Malta also suggest use of the drugs without
consulting a physician5-9. The data regarding “health seeking
behavior” and “medicines use” is scarce in Pakistan and a study
was conducted to evaluate these issues...