When they have flu symptoms like cough, sore throat, sneezing, or headache, many Vietnamese turn doctors and decide they know what drugs to take.

And then there are those like Nguyen Thi Thu, 63, of Hanoi who say a visit to a nearby pharmacist will take care of things.

A pharmacist can prescribe a medicine, she says, and if that does not work, one can always try others until something works.

“If it does work, you know what you should take next time,” she says.

“If it does not, just avoid it."

“For example, paracetamol works for me when I have a headache. There is decolgen for flu and antibiotics for my sore throat,” she says confidently.

Not satisfied with prescribing drugs for herself, she is also ready to help neighbors or family members when they have a problem.

“For such minor ailments, seeing a doctor is a waste of time and money. I have done this for many years and nothing bad has ever happened.”

Just as confident as Ms Thu but much less fortunate was N.T.H, a who had high fever and ulcer on the genitals and was unconscious when admitted to Hanoi’s Bach Mai General Hospital with severe drug allergy.

“I had a sore throat, cough, and high temperature and so took some antibiotics I bought at a pharmacist’s,” the 25 year-old says.

“On the second day, I developed an allergy from the antibiotic which turned my skin red, face swollen, and eyes hurt. I then took some anti-allergic drug I bought from the same pharmacist.”

Apparently, many people only visit a doctor when their condition worsens or they have something they cannot diagnose themselves.

According to a recent report, Bach Mai’s clinical immunity and allergy department receives three or four patients a day with complications caused by self-prescribed drugs.

They have body redness if it is a mild case and anaphylaxis if more serious (a severe, whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical), and even die if they are not rushed to hospital in time, a doctor says.

Self-prescribed drugs to treat eye problems could also lead to grave consequences, Dr Hoang Cuong of the Central Eye Hospital warns.

Instances of patients permanently losing their sight are not rare since the use of wrong drugs can cause corneal ulcers and cataract, he explains.

Many drugs that people use to treat glaucoma can have serious side effects like cardiac failure and increase the risk of asthma, he warned further.

Allergy to antibiotics like penicillin, ampicillin, streptomycin, tetracylin, analgin, and phenacetin can also lead to lung, liver, and kidney failure which can quickly cause death if not treated soon.

Clearly, spending a little more time and money to see a doctor can save many people from such terrible fates.