A Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist and Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Aduragbenro Adedapo, have warned that medicines can either improve health outcomes or become a source of harm, depending on how they are prescribed, monitored, and used.
Adedapo stated this while delivering the 616th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan titled “The Effects of Drug Utilisation on Our Systems: A Blessing or a Curse? The Verdict of a Clinical Pharmacologist.”
She said medicines remain among the most powerful tools in healthcare but noted that irrational use, adverse drug reactions, medication errors, and poor prescribing practices continue to undermine their benefits.
According to her, drug utilisation goes beyond the consumption of medicines and includes their prescription, distribution, and use, as well as the medical, social, and economic consequences that follow.
“Medicines are not inherently a blessing or a curse. Their impact depends on how responsibly they are prescribed and used,” she said.
Adedapo expressed concern over the growing burden of adverse drug reactions, describing them as harmful and unintended responses that occur when medicines are used at normal therapeutic doses.
She noted that adverse drug reactions can arise after a single dose, prolonged use, or the combination of multiple medicines, and may result in hospitalisation, disability, or death.
The clinical pharmacologist stressed the need for greater vigilance among healthcare professionals and patients, urging prompt reporting of adverse drug reactions through established pharmacovigilance systems.
According to her, pharmacovigilance plays a critical role in identifying previously unknown adverse effects and ensuring that unsafe medicines are detected and addressed early.
Adedapo also highlighted the dangers of medication errors and polypharmacy, particularly among patients living with chronic diseases who often take multiple medications simultaneously.
She warned that inappropriate prescribing and poor medication management increase the risk of harmful drug interactions and poor treatment outcomes.
Citing research findings, she said many Nigerians use herbal remedies alongside prescribed medicines without informing their doctors, thereby exposing themselves to potentially harmful herb-drug interactions.
She noted that the World Health Organization estimates that up to 70 per cent of Nigerians rely on traditional medicine, including herbal products, for primary healthcare.
“Many people assume herbal medicines are safe because they are natural, but every substance capable of producing a therapeutic effect can also produce adverse effects,” she said.
Presenting findings from several studies, Adedapo revealed that irrational prescribing practices contribute significantly to poor disease control, increased healthcare costs, and avoidable adverse drug reactions among patients with hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.
She cited evidence showing that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antidiabetic medicines, and antibiotics are among the drugs most commonly associated with adverse drug reactions.
According to her, adverse drug reactions account for a significant number of hospital admissions and often prolong hospital stays.
She also identified the gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, and skin as the body systems most frequently affected by adverse drug reactions.
The professor stressed that rational medicine use remains one of the most effective strategies for improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
According to her, “When guided by the principles of clinical pharmacology, medicines improve health outcomes, conserve resources, and enhance quality of life. But when misused, they become sources of avoidable harm, inefficiency, and waste.”
She called on healthcare professionals, regulators, policymakers, and patients to strengthen drug safety practices through responsible prescribing, adverse reaction reporting, patient education, and increased investment in clinical pharmacology research.
“The true value of medicines lies not just in their discovery but in their responsible utilisation,” she added.
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