self-medication

noun

self-med·​i·​ca·​tion ˌself-ˌme-di-ˈkā-shən 

plural self-medications

: the act or process of medicating oneself especially without the advice of a physician : self-treatment

For chronic coughs, self-medication with cough remedies is usually inappropriate, and most doctors discourage their use.

—Consumer Reports

Hazard has a long tradition of self-medicating. Moonshine and marijuana, grown in its fertile soil, have long helped to blot out depression, boredom, even physical pain.

—Debra Rosenberg

also : a substance used for self-medication

Over half (57 per cent) of these medical centre patients reported using one or more over-the-counter medications in the previous month, with analgesics, cold and allergy products, and antacid products being the most common self-medications.

—Antonia C. Lyons and Kerry Chamberlain

Examples of self-medication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Inability to access health care and inconveniences are obstacles that promote self-medication. —Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 24 Feb. 2026

Tottenham’s novel reflects on a farrago of contemporary afflictions: gentrification, debt, friendship, aging gracelessly, self-medication, male vanity, professional jealousy, the perils of political correctness, and the role of literature in the digital era. —Literary Hub, 9 May 2025

The nonprofit’s web site says their programs discuss self-medication and casual drug use in the fentanyl era while encouraging healthier strategies for coping with stress. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 20 Mar. 2025

There’s self-care—the buzzword of my generation—and then there’s self-medication. —Kristen Mascia, Parents, 4 Mar. 2025

The market response was immediate, validating his intuition and laying the groundwork for what would become a career instead of an act of self-medication. —Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

In another instance of self-medication, scientists recently witnessed an orangutan heal his own wound. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-medication

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

self-medication

noun

self-med·​i·​ca·​tion -ˌmed-ə-ˈkā-shən 

: medication of oneself especially without the advice of a physician : self-treatment

self-medication with nonprescription drugs