According to WHO, self medication is "the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms". It includes the use of nonprescription drugs and a range of different alternative medicines such as herbal remedies, food supplements, and traditional products. In most illness episodes, self medication is the first option which makes self-medication a common practice worldwide. Drugs are central to self-medication. Self-medication is the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms of illnesses.Socio-demographic and socio-economic variables affect self-medication. The self medication is not always safe and the knowledge of drugs may not be correct. The reasons for self diagnosis and self-medication are non-seriousness of the illnesses, for emergency use and prior experience about the illness.

Requests for antimicrobial drugs are very high for all reported illnesses and very low for ORS. Consumers' knowledge of drugs is also not adequate. In addition to this, even if self-medication is within its scope, it has to be accompanied with appropriate counselling and objective and complete drug information by the health care provider, particularly, the pharmacist. In this book, self-medication practices with modern drugs and consumers' drug knowledge in Haryana is discussed.