The Risks of taking too much Medication

Our current pace of life demands large amounts of effort, flexibility, and often times long work days.  There’s not very much space left over to relax and rest.  Vacations and fun activities generally cause even more stress.  Whenever we feel sick, we want immediate relief of our discomforts, which is why a lot of people turn to medication.  We’ve gotten used to looking at medications as our friends, and it is true that they do help us avoid stopping our hectic lifestyle.

But what happens when you don’t realize what your limits are in time?  There are countless products on the market that provide benefits for an endless list of conditions and discomforts.  In some countries, a lot of these medications can be purchased in pharmacies and supermarkets without even having a prescription.  And other drugs help improve work or athletic performance, or improve moods, like those used for depression.  There are a lot of options, but be careful.  Medications can be harmful, and often times potentially dangerous.

Frequently Consumed Medications

The drugs that are most commonly prescribed by doctors include analgesics, diuretics, medications for treating insomnia and sleep disorders, tranquilizers, stimulants, anti-depressants, and weight loss pills, along with others.  A large amount of these medications can cause dependency.  The combination of certain active ingredients cause serious health problems.

Most of the time, this drug consumptions passes unnoticed, and it is even promoted by society.  Abusing drugs can often times be preceded by consuming other, legal, drugs, like alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.  Social and family pressures, work, beauty standards and psychosomatic problems can all lead to medication abuse.  Athletes that want to improve their performance and times, older people that want to control their anxiety and depression, or the ever-famous graveyard shifts that cause sleep disorders.  Medication abuse is believed to start sometime after 26 years of age, but there are no concrete facts that prove this observation.

Dependency

Medications can cause dependency, especially if they are continually used, used over a long period of time and in high doses.  We must distinguish between patients that need continuous medication to treat a specific disease or condition.  Medications for pain, sleep and tranquilizers, however, are not considered to be vital medications for life, nor are medications that improve performance in various daily activities.  Work competition, concentration, being constantly available, challenges cause by specific goals and pre-established standards, mobbing, etc., create anxiety and a permanent state of stress.  A lot of people need to rely on medications in order to carry out their daily activities, although this may cost them their rest and peace of mind.  In this case, medications that are prescribed should only be taken for short periods of time, while searching for other alternatives to relax and to mitigate pain.  Another important issue is that in order to treat doping for work, there is no appropriate evaluation that exists.  There are very few places that offer help for this.  A lot of these medications are prescribed without the patient’s recognition of any side effects that they may cause, and not only that, they are generally socially accepted and recognized.  Their efficacy is promoted by advertising, or they are recommended by family members and colleagues.  Unlike other dependencies, there are no visible signs that point to medication abuse.  You need to take the necessary measures for stopping abuse, such as the following:

• Recognize the potential to become dependent on drugs.
• Avoid combining certain medications.
• Avoid larges amounts and high doses.
• Avoid consuming for long periods of time.
• Avoid self-medicating.
• Know the side effects.

Side Effects

A lot of health professionals don’t inform their patients sufficiently regarding the dangers and side effects of certain medications.  A lot of these effects are caused by different drugs interacting, creating effects in the body that are different than the desired effects.  Medication dependency can generally be detected when an individual presents mood changes, depression, poor concentration and in extreme cases, hallucinations.  We could also mention the circulatory problems they create, along with risk of accidents and gastrointestinal disorders.

Gastrointestinal Disorders

The majority of medications warn about their side effects on the label.  One of the most common problems are related to gastrointestinal issues.  Below are some of the most common conditions caused by medications:

• Stomach pain, inflamed belly
• Gastritis
• Gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Feeling full
• Heartburn
• Sudden sweats
• Dizziness, vomiting

Stomach pain manifests as cramping or pain in the abdominal area.  They can be accompanied by digestive problems, like flatulence, diarrhea or constipation.  Often times, they are caused by consuming medications, stress, and/or Burnout Syndrome.  Stomach pain is often times based in the psychosomatic field, making medication abuse twice as dangerous.

Other consequences include liver damage and even kidney failure.

Help

The most important thing in this situation is that you recognize the problem; if you need medications to help control your daily lifestyle, or if you are trying new products or a higher dosage.  Your doctor will slowly reduce the dosage you’re taking of these medications, and you should find natural alternatives to relax and to work better.  A lot of professionals suggest practicing Yoga, being active, and getting massages.

Before you get a prescription, make sure to mention that you’re going through a specific emotional problem, like a separation, death of a loved one, loss of job or other conflicts.  Remember that medications only control the symptoms, they do not solve problems.

About the author