self-medicate

verb

self-med·​i·​cate ˌself-ˈme-di-ˌkāt 

self-medicated; self-medicating; self-medicates

1

transitive : to treat (something) by self-medication

people who attempt to self-medicate depression

2

intransitive : to treat oneself by self-medication

self-medicated with analgesics to control arthritic pain

These courts are a lifeline for veterans, many of whom struggle with post-traumatic stress and brain injury when they return home after serving, often using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.

—Claire Handscombe

Examples of self-medicate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because alcohol is a depressant, many people use it as a way to self-medicate and temporarily manage mania. —Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Peter’s perspectives, for example, are choppy and frantic, punctuated by anxious thought spirals as he self-medicates, pontificates and twists with self-loathing. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024

Unable to dance, she self-medicates with pills bought from a local busker and develops an addiction to painkillers. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2024

Addiction often results from attempts to self-medicate the symptoms—which is why treating the underlying trauma can be essential to a cure. —Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Medical Definition

self-medicate

verb

self-med·​i·​cate -ˈmed-ə-ˌkāt 

self-medicated; self-medicating

transitive verb

: to treat by self-medication

the patient had attempted to self-medicate depression

intransitive verb

: to treat oneself by self-medication

patients with dental pain often self-medicate with analgesics