Monday, December 10, 2012

Taking Pain Pills May Be Hazardous To Your Health

By Michael Pritsker


Since pain is an everyday occurrence for many, most people who have had pain for a while start to believe that this is normal. If their pain is infrequent, they resort to over the counter pain killers. A toothache, muscle ache, or joint pain are common and usually tolerable. Over-the-counter medications are not meant to be taken indiscriminately. As with all other types of medication, caution should be observed when taking pain remedies.

Over-the-counter pain medication are those that are easily accessible and do not require a prescription from a doctor to obtain. They are available from pharmacies, grocery and convenience store. Because they are sold without a doctor's prescription, we assume it's safe to consume. This disregard for possible harmful side effects make each of us guilty of overusing pain reliever. So let us explore some of the improper ways of taking pain reliever that we usually consider harmless.

Many individuals take over-the-counter pain medication like candy because they are easily purchased at a pharmacy, grocery, or convenience store without a prescription. We take one pill and then another until we start feeling a little better, without paying attention to the proper dosage. Sometimes, we think that one pill is not enough and by taking two or three at a time, the effect will be stronger and the pain will go away faster. When you are taking more than the maximum dosage recommended, we are now dealing with pain killer addiction.

Frequent usage of certain medication over time will cause bad side effects such as edema, blurred vision, nausea, heartburn, diarrhea, gastric ulcer with bleeding and/or perforation, dizziness, nervousness, rash and tinnitus. It is found that Ibuprofen use can increase the risk of stroke and Acetaminophen such as Tylenol can cause serious liver and kidney damage.

Lastly, a common oversight is to take pain remedies with other medication without first consulting a doctor. This is dangerous because different types of drugs react differently and combining them will sometimes cause harm to the body. That is why in every case, a pain management doctor should always be informed of the different kinds of medication you are currently taking so that the right pain killers and the correct dosage can be prescribed.




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