PERFIL DA AUTOMEDICAÇÃO DOS IDOSOS DO MOVIMENTO DA TERCEIRA IDADE NO MUNICÍPIO DE IPATINGA - MINAS GERAIS.

The increase of age is related to the greater consumption of medicines often correlates with the greater occurrence of noncommunicable chronic diseases in this age group. Therefore, it is important to investigate the profile of self-medication in the elderly. Observational, descriptive study, with a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 86 older adults with a mean age of 68 years (SD = 6), predominantly the age group of 60 to 69 years (66.3%), 82.6% female. 73.3% of the interviewees reported having already bought some medication without a prescription, being anti-inflammatories/analgesics (41.9%) the most cited, followed by muscle relaxants (11.6%) and vitamins/minerals (9.3 %). The most frequent reasons to buy medication without prescription were: "I had used it before and solved my problem" (56.1%), "I had a pharmaceutical indication" (15.1%) and "the medicine was good for a relative and / or friend "(15.1%). Among the elderly with 60 to 69 years of age, 84.2% reported purchasing medication without a prescription, while among those aged 70 to 79 this percentage was only 48%. There is a high prevalence of self-medication in the elderly, being the anti-inflammatory/analgesic, followed by the muscle relaxants most used. Self-medication is not free of health risks, and this practice is cause for concern, so it is necessary to instruct the population to seek a health professional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]