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Concurrent use of orthodox and herbal antimalarials among science-based undergraduate students of Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria

Many patients combine conventional and herbal drug for malaria treatment. The pattern and extent of such concurrent medication among medical and non-medical science based  undergraduate students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria was evaluated in this study. Three hundred and eighty (380) structured questionnaires were administered based on faculties of study to retrieve data. The study indicates that 60.1% of the students utilize hospitals for treatment, while self-medication and patronage of traditional medicine practitioners account for 30.4% and 9.5%, respectively. Majority (57.3%) use orthodox antimalarials alone, 7.6% utilize herbal antimalarials alone, while 35.1% use both concurrently. Non-medical science based students recorded highest incidence of concomitant orthodox–herbal drug usage (23.4%). Evaluation of perception on effectiveness revealed that 48.1% ranked concomitant medication as “relatively effective”, 28.7% regarded it as “considerably effective", and only 23.3% considered it as “not effective”. This study report that concurrent use of orthodox and herbal antimalarials among medical and non-medical science-based undergraduate students of ABU Zaria is not uncommon and that healthcare professionals are not always informed about concomitant drugs usage when visited by clients for treatment. Further studies should evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of such concurrent use of the antimalarials and prescribers should always inquire and counsel potential parallel medications accordingly. Keywords : Conventional antimalarials; Herbal antimalarials; Concurrent medication; Malaria treatment