We all agree that pain is painful and no one wants to feel pain. The experience of pain is universal and at the same time personal. It is a complex and psychological phenomenon that has no objective way to be measured.
Pain is more than a sensation. It is a protective call to action and without pain, life can be dangerous. Interestingly, medics rely on the patient’s self-report and a general idea with regard to the level of pain various conditions can produce.
Different pain requires the use of different types of medications. Some can be purchased over the counter (OTC), while others require prescriptions, and others are highly controlled due to their addictive nature.
When you take a painkiller, it makes you reduce the pain-detector hormone making the pain go away or become less severe. Unfortunately, many of us may be playing Russian roulette when it comes to numbing pain. All we want is for the pain to go away and we may end up taking more medicine than the label and/or what the doctor restricts.
Prescription pain relievers, when used correctly and with a doctor’s direction, are safe and effective. But abuse or mixing them with other psychoactive substances can be fatal.
Even using prescription painkillers with other prescription drugs such as antidepressants and OTC medication such as cough syrups can lead to life-threatening respiratory failure. And this could explain why people popping pills with other substances are dropping dead or being zombified.
Let us narrow it down to a painkiller that we all have used and have in our medicine cabinets—paracetamol. It is one drug that is effective, accessible, available and affordable. It is the one size fits all kind of painkiller for regular headaches, period cramps, muscle aches, pains, and fever. It is generally safe but misuse and overdose do occur.
Just like any type of medication, taking too much paracetamol can be dangerous. People might also misuse prescription drugs to get high, concentrate, cope, or fit in with peers. One of the main concerns is how excessive doses can lead to liver damage that can be fatal and difficult to treat.
Others, to chase the opiate high, are mixing paracetamol drugs with alcohol to produce a feeling of euphoria, relaxation or sleepiness. Unquestionably, both are considered depressant drugs, meaning they slow down the brain and body functions as well as amplify each other’s effect resulting in a double depressant feeling or more.
Admittedly, most of us have also taken a paracetamol drug after a night of drinking to avoid or treat an alcohol-induced headache. If so, it is time to reconsider that practice or you could find yourself dealing with side effects more serious than a hangover—such as ulcers, stomach bleeding, anxiety disorders, and liver and kidney damage.
The general rule of thumb is if you are drinking alcohol and waking up with a hangover, you might want to look at your drinking habits and keep the paracetamol away.
Paracetamol may be cheap but it is a ticking time bomb that can destroy the liver when abused. Remember, the truth of the matter is that painkillers do what the name says – kill pain – but not permanently.
While they are simply easing the pain, which is important for chronic patients, they are not actually doing anything to improve the patient’s health. The best way to avoid any health risks is to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan for the underlying causes of the pain.
So, next time you have a headache and opt for self-medication, be wary of the risks of misdiagnosis, use of excessive drugs, prolonged duration of use, and polydrug use – mixing with other psychoactive substances.
Self-medication may seem inevitable. The buck stops with the respective authorities and health professionals to continuously educate people about the cons of self-medication. With this, paracetamol will be viewed as a serious drug and not a piece of candy that you can pop daily.
Substance use prevention advocate. [email protected]