People always take pain and pain medication for granted. Usually, they seek pain management treatment only when the pain grows worse or becomes intolerable and only when pain killers can't seem to give them relief anymore. But before that much-avoided visit to the doctor, how do people handle or manage pain on their own?
Most of them take over-the-counter pain medication which is, of course, fine when it comes to treating occasional bouts of pain from ordinary and common known causes. When it comes to chronic pain or pain that keeps on recurring for weeks, months or years, some people attempt to play doctor by giving themselves pain medication in doses according to their own liking. This is extremely dangerous and harmful to the body due to the many side effects that are associated with prolonged use and large doses of over-the-counter pain killers.
One established negative side effect is damage to the liver by acetaminophen, a common component in most over-the-counter pain killers. Since over-the-counter drugs are dispensed without a doctor's prescription, people tend to take them as often as they wish without giving much thought to the maximum allowable safe dosage for the medication. The damage to the liver caused by a large or frequent dosage of acetaminophen may also be aggravated by other factors like drinking alcohol or by taking other medications also containing acetaminophen which may double its effect. Some, however, brush aside warnings on labels and think they can get away with a modest amount of alcohol. And others may simply not know that other medications that they are currently taking contain acetaminophen.
Another side effect of over-the-counter pain killers is stomach bleeding which is be caused by a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which is popularly called NSAID. This component is also present in most over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin. By themselves, these drugs which contain NSAID will normally not cause harm or injury to the body. When taken, however, by persons who regularly consume alcohol, or by persons who take drugs which also contain NSAID, or if its use is prolonged or in large quantities, NSAIDs may cause stomach bleeding.
Knowledge of these side effects should help people realize that when it comes to over-the-counter pain killers, attention must be given to their contents, the warnings on their labels, the proper dosage, and the drugs' reactions when combined with other substances. As much as possible, people should take pain killers only when absolutely necessary and at minimal doses. Although they are considered safe to use even without a doctor's prescription, over-the-counter pain medications are not to be trifled with. These medications require people to use them responsibly by following suggested dosages and heeding warnings and contraindications. In every case though, it is always best to seek medical advise on pain management even if dealing only with over-the-counter pain killers so that all these complications can be avoided.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 