Abstract
Objective: Analyzed the media influence for self-medication among nursing students. Methods: A study quantitative, descriptive and exploratory research with 49 nursing students. The organizations of data collection were through Microsoft Excel® 2010 this presented in tables and analyzed in the form of descriptive statistics, applying the simple percentage calculation. Results: Of 49 students were interviewed, of whom 90% were female, with a predominant age group between 18 and 24 years old. The largest numbers of participating students are single (49%). (84%) of the students said that had self-medication in the last trimester, justifying to have been due to difficulties in accessing public health services (48%). The most commonly used drugs are anti-inflammatory and analgesics. The most observed collateral effects were headache and nausea, although (77.5%) reported no drug complications. Regarding drug advertisements, (59%) said to be a determinant of self-medication. Of respondents (37%) used medication to boost their academic performance and (28%) used self-medication for aesthetic purposes. Conclusion: Mediatic factors are considered to be resources that increase the demand for drugs in search of quick and often palliative relief of symptoms that tend to arise sporadically.