ABSTRACT Self-medication with antibiotics, irrational prescribing and use of over-the-counter medicines and antibiotics represent a global concern, with implications for antibiotic resistance, clinical outcomes and costs of health care. This paper set out to make an in-depth exploration of the factors that influence self-medication in Romania. Specifically, this study investigated the factors prompting self-medication, knowledge about the side effects of medicines and antibiotic resistance and the practice of prescribing and dispensing antibiotics. The phenomenon of self-medication was delineated by interviewing individuals that self-medicate, physicians and pharmacists. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 7 men and 13 women, aged 24 to 59 years old. The data set was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that the complex phenomenon of self-medication is an individual health management habit, influenced mainly by health related education and sources of information, medical experience, beliefs about medicines and the quality of the relationships with the health-care providers. This practice is consolidated by consumers’ social circle and enabled by factors related to the health-care system, such as medical insurance, co-payments and informal payments. KEYWORDS: self-medication, antibiotics, over-the-counter drugs, thematic analysis PAGES:215-235