Introduction: the Covid-19 pandemic brought a behavior of the population regarding the use of medicines without proven effectiveness. Objective: to measure the prevalence and profile of use of medicines and home remedies for the prevention of Covid-19 in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Method: a population-based cross-sectional study carried out in four stages, whose collection was carried out at home from August to October 2020. Questions were asked about the use of medicines and home remedies, and demographic, socioeconomic, clinical and behavioral data were also collected, with rapid test for IgM and IgG antibodies. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed between medication use and sociodemographic data. The linear trend and the heterogeneity of proportions were evaluated using the chi-square test, considering the value of p<0.05. Results: the sample consisted of 4252 individuals. The prevalence of use of medicines and home remedies was 7.8% (95%CI: 6.5-8.17). The most used medications were German Balm® (Vitamin E) (43.7%), ivermectin (26.6%) and other vitamins (17.9%). The most reported home remedies were propolis (70.4%) and teas (25.6%). Medication use was higher in individuals aged 60 years or over (8.1%), with higher education (10.4%), family income greater than R6271.00(10.36.271 (10,3%), moradores da zona rural (6,9%) e com pelo menos uma morbidade (8,0%) (p<0,05). Conclusão: apesar de baixo, destacou-se consumo de medicamentos e remédios caseiros sem comprovação científica para prevenção da Covid-19. É necessária uma discussão sobre o tipo de acesso às informações e a necessidade de uma assistência farmacêutica mais difusa e efetiva no cuidado da população, viabilizando o uso racional de medicamentos
