Painkillers over the counter: Watch out!
Did you know that if you do not use 'safe' over-the-counter (OTC or non-prescribed) medication at recommended doses, chances are that you will also become an addict?
Drugs … a much talked about and dangerous subject. Did you know that if you do not use ‘safe’ over-the-counter (OTC or non-prescribed) medication at recommended doses, chances are that you will also become an addict?
According to a pharmacist, half of the people buying painkillers are most likely not taking them as recommended or are misusing them. Among teenagers, painkillers are second to marijuana (dagga) as the drug of choice to get “high”.
Using painkillers for long periods can lead to dependency. According to the book, The truth about painkillers published by drugfreeworld.org, they “are powerful drugs that interfere with the nervous system’s transmission of the nerve signals that we experience as pain. Most painkillers also stimulate portions of the brain associated with pleasure. Thus, in addition to numbing the pain, they produce a ‘high’.”
The most powerful prescription painkillers are called opioids, which are opium-like compounds. They are manufactured to react on the nervous system in the same way as drugs derived from the opium poppy, such as heroin.
Some of the non-prescription drugs that are potentially habit-forming are, just to name a few, Percodan, Vicodin and Demerol. In South Africa, Nurofen Plus, Methadone, Adcodol, Sinutab and many cough mixtures are just some of the OTCs that contain codeine, which can create codependency, yet not as dangerous and addictive as Percodan etcetera.
The mental and physiological effects of painkillers:
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Addiction
• Increased risk of heart attack
• Source: drugfreeworld.org
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