Analgesic Self-Medication and Unsafe Medication Practices among Thai Adolescents and Young Adults: Associations with Self-Reported Adverse Effects

Analgesic self-medication is common among adolescents and young adults, yet unsafe use raises concerns about medication-related harm. This cross- sectional study examined analgesic self-medication, unsafe medication practices, and their associations with self-reported adverse effects among Thai adolescents and young adults. The analysis included 102 survey responses. All participants provided data on recommended-dose adherence, medication-label reading, and adverse effects. An expanded behavioral dataset from 58 participants covered self-medication, medication sharing, purchasing without professional consultation, and duration of analgesic use. Among the 102 participants, 35.3% reported exceeding the recommended analgesic dose, 37.3% did not consistently read medication labels, and 23.5% reported adverse effects. In the expanded subsample, 89.7% reported self- medication, 53.4% had purchased analgesics without consulting a physician or pharmacist, 50.0% had used medication belonging to another person, and 32.8% had used analgesics for three or more consecutive days. Participants who exceeded the recommended dose had higher odds of reporting adverse effects than participants who followed the recommended dose (OR = 4.52, 95% CI 1.72 to 11.89, p = 0.003). Adverse-effect prevalence also increased with the frequency of excessive dosing. Rates rose from 13.6% among participants who never exceeded the recommended dose to 33.3% among occasional excessive-dose users and 66.7% among frequent excessive-dose users. These findings identify excessive dosing as the unsafe practice most strongly associated with self-reported adverse effects in this sample. Medication-safety programs for adolescents and young adults should focus on dose limits, consistent label reading, and consultation with physicians or pharmacists before unsupervised analgesic use.