Abuse of over-the-counter medication holds many dangers
"It was difficult for me to realise that I had a problem when my dealer wore a white coat, worked in a sterile air-conditioned 'office' and had a qualification on the wall."
These are the words of Carla*, who was addicted for years on over-the-counter medication.
She shared her stories to warn against the dangers of abusing prescription or over-the-counter medication, which can be just as dangerous as abusing illegal drugs.
Because her drugs of choice was bought at a pharmacy, Carla says she justified her habit by the fact that it was legal.
“Hence, I believe I was able to fly under the radar for so long because after all, it was not illegal drugs. There was no criminal activity linked to my drug abuse or so I thought.
“I did not have to visit dodgy street corners and do drive to pick-up points in order to get high. No, a respectable ride to the pharmacy where I gave money to someone for drugs is all that it took to feed my addiction.”
According to Alicia Benade, operations manager at the Viewpoint Recovery Centre in Plantation, questions are normally not asked by anyone behind the counter or in the isles when buying over-the-counter medication.
For this reason, addiction to such medication or even prescription ‘drugs’ is a growing concern.
“Those addicted to over-the-counter drugs are able to buy their poison in large quantities from any pharmacy or even supermarket. It is, thus, easy to fuel the addiction,” says Benade.
“And such ‘drugs’ come in many forms – tablets, capsules, syrup or powder – and can be painkillers or cough syrups. The scary thing is that it can be bought anywhere by anyone.
“Painkillers and cough syrups that contain alcohol seem to be the most commonly abused over-the-counter medication. These medicines are usually cheap and this makes them doubly attractive.”
Carla says over-the-counter medication was her drug of choice for more than a decade.
“After having bone surgery, they were suggested as a means of pain management for no longer than 10 days. I had learnt to walk again, but found I was hooked to my new best friends, even though the external pain had long since disappeared,” says Carla.
“Two yellow tablets at a time governed my life daily for the next 15 years. I will now have to live with the internal damage caused by my addiction for the rest of my life.
“Looking back, I was simply trying to mask the internal pain of my refusal to accept life on its terms.”
Benade says prescription drugs are generally a little more difficult to procure, as a doctor’s prescription is needed in order to get these.
“Addicts will, however, go to any lengths to procure a script, such as visiting more than one doctor or changing pharmacies to feed their addiction.
“This devious behaviour is generally a characteristic of the addict. Prescription drugs come in many different forms – usually tablets or capsules.
“Problem is, even though such drugs are prescribed legitimately for existing medical conditions, the addict continues taking them after the condition for which it was prescribed is cleared.
“The most commonly abused prescription drugs are painkillers, sedatives or sleeping tablets and stimulants. The painkillers that contain paracetamol, codeine and caffeine seem to be very popular.
“It is often harder to get people who use prescription drugs to accept that they have an addiction.”
Benade says with prescription or over-the-counter medicine, one has to ask oneself difficult questions, since it is easy to justify such a habit.
“Ask yourself then for example, are you taking Grandpa headache powders every day, or is it perhaps Syndoll, Adcodol or cough syrup for pain that is mostly imagined? If so, you might be addicted.”
Anyone seeking help from this kind of abuse or addiction, contact the Viewpoint Recovery Centre on 076 137 2661.
* Not her real name.
May: Q and A with Viewpoint Recovery Centre
February: Q and A with Viewpoint Recovery Centre
