Epidemiology of household medications in urban Gweru and Harare.

A questionnaire to evaluate the epidemiology of household medications was verbally administered to 498 households in urban Gweru and Harare. Self-medication was common in 95pc of the households. The average number of drugs per household was four. The commonest items encountered were analgesics, cough, cold and sore throat preparations, dermatologicals, gastrointestinals and antimalarials. The majority of the respondents usually chose an appropriate drug for a particular symptom. The sources of the medications found in the households were chemist/pharmacy, shop/supermarket, hospital/clinic, friends and relatives.