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

Beyond potentially pointing humans toward discovering new natural remedies, the incident also suggests the ability to self-medicate originated long ago in the primate lineage. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

Wetzel, a burly Texan with a rowdy rep, sang about self-medicating and self-sabotaging, with a little self-mythologizing along the way. —Rolling Stone, 28 Dec. 2024

And be careful about self-medicating to get to sleep, Brown says. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024

In that sense, exceptional achievers self-medicate by constantly striving for more, and getting only a very temporal satisfaction with each accomplishment. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 11 Dec. 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