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Most times people don't need to go to the pharmacy stores to purchase these drugs, they are readily available in the home. Some people may feel that since prescription drugs are not illegal drugs, it is safe to take them. Truly prescribed medication can improve our health and even save lives. But let look at it this way; we eat food to keep us alive and healthy. Are there situations in which the food we eat that keeps us alive and healthy can eventually cause problem to us? Definitely yes! Overeating can affect us badly. Eating too much of a particular diet too can affect the body functions. Yet these foods are not poison. So too, we'll be affected badly when we abuse prescribed medication whether for medical purpose or non medical purpose. There are potential dangers. One of which is addiction. Taking the drugs for non medical purpose will establish dependency where the body system craves for more of it. The end result may be extreme depression, increased stress, abnormal functioning of the body (heart failure, seizures, lowered breathing rate, mental problems), and even death.
For medical reasons, there are guidelines for the safe use of prescription drugs. If the drug you intend taking was prescribed by a physician, you should follow directions carefully. If your physician tell you "to swallow", please do swallow. Some may want to chew, crush, dissolve in water or mix the drug with food before taking it. When you do this, you alter the process in which the drug active ingredient is released into the body. This can either reduced or induced a spike of the drug efficacy. Do not breach regimen. Follow the treatment plan closely as stipulated by your physician. This involves taking the right dosage at the right time. When taking over-the-counter drugs, we should follow the same guidelines for the safe use of prescribed medication by reading and following the instructions on label. Taking drugs for the wrong reasons can never and will never do us any good. If you find this article interesting please share with your friends and loved ones .
'The fear of pain is the beginning of overdosing on prescription meds'. People overdose on meds due to a number of reasons such as pain, depression, etc, and unless you are in pain , you may never know - I am not saying that this is right. There seems to be some kind of regulation, and people need to be educated on the side effects of overdosing on such drugs
ReplyDeleteThere are many factors involved for taking over dose. Pain , some think my taking more dosage then prescribed they will be fine soon. Prescription drug abuse is common in all young and old, even I believe it is more in old.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have written here , " For medical reasons, there are guidelines for the safe use of prescription drugs. If the drug you intend taking was prescribed by a physician, you should follow directions carefully." What you have written her can be true in some case. But many diseases can have same symptoms ,and use of any particular medicine can be a disaster. I believe we must not try any medicine , beyond paracetamol , ourselves and visit doctor as soon as possible.
Speaking about overdose is a good topic to cover, there is too much of it today. I did like your recommendation to read HOW to take the medicine. Chewing or swallowing a tablet does impact how the drug is absorbed in the body and what strength. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAt one point I had a massive toothache caused by infected wisdom teeth. I was prescribed Co-Codamine and was always worried I would get addicted to it, as it is addictive and the pain was unbearable at times. I craved the Co-Codamine like anything. Thankfully I started using clove oil...so less pharmaceutics in the body. You have to be careful with prescription drugs no doubt.
ReplyDeleteVijay
People take drugs to feel "better";whatever better is for them Maybe it's,less pain, less stress, or less connected. The honeymoon high is short-lived and the initial pleasurable effects of the drug change.Soon they need more medication and get less of the good feelings. The body gets addicted as well with the physiological changes that have occurred. Drug dependency is an insidious process and recovery is hard and painful. Thankfully, we've recognized addiction as an illness and the individuals working with substance abuse and recovery are passionate about their work and vested in their clients' recovery.
ReplyDeleteKudos to them!
Pamela
I think people are prescribed pain medications without the appropriate level of warning about overdose or the possibility of addiction. Our veterans are extremely susceptible to this problem. They come home with injuries, prescribed pain medication, and also often suffer from PTSD. It's tragic. Thanks for raising awareness.
ReplyDeleteDrug addiction is a chronic, progressive brain disease. It is characterized by the compulsive pursuit of drugs in spite of negative consequences. Like other diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma, drug addiction can't be cured. It can, however, be successfully managed. wagcares
ReplyDelete