BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Headaches are a health problem affecting quality of life of patients who look for new drugs and are self-medicated with major risk for health due to hypersensitivity reactions, physical and psychical dependence, in addition to masking symptoms and worsening the baseline disease. This study aimed at checking headache self-medication among health professionals of a Santa Casa de Misericórdia, in a city of the Paraíba Valley. METHOD: Participated in this study 65 employees aged between 20 and 60 years, of both genders, all with health-related functions and who agreed to fill in a questionnaire prepared by the investigators. RESULTS: Most respondents (73.8%) had used drugs in the last three months. Headache was the major complaint for the use of drugs and was referred by 23 (33.7%) respondents. Pain was reported by 48.5% of them and 46.9% used drugs following medical prescription. Self-medication was identified in 53.1% of respondents by self-indication. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) were the most widely used (25.8%). Prevalence of respondents age bracket was from 20 to 30 years. CONCLUSION: Headache was the major motivating symptom for the use of drugs and NSAIDS were the most widely used therapeutic class. Self-medication is practiced by their own indication, motivated by friends and sales clerks or even reusing old medical prescriptions.
Anti-inflammatory drugs; Headache; Health Professionals; Self-medication
