Think twice before popping those pills

Everyone loves a quick fix. Quick fixes aren’t always the best fix—sadly.  Just how much of a quick fix is safe for us, especially for our livers?  Well, researchers at Edinburg University have attempted to answer this question.

Regular intake of pills in frequent and uncontrolled dosages could be seriously damaging our livers, according to the recent Edinburgh study. Tablets such as paracetamol, (OTC aspirin-free pain relievers commonly known as acetaminophen) which most people have in their daily survival kit, could lead to a life-threatening condition over a period of time if misused or abused.

Many people look to the promise of comfort by downing a pill, but may not realize the possible health dangers this might pose in the future. The danger of overdosing from pain relievers, especially those formulated to ease chronic pain, has become a growing concern because most people do not recognize the warning signs of overuse and taking these pills is so commonplace in our culture.

Cases of overdose have often been missed by doctors because medical procedures such as blood tests normally do not show high or staggering levels of paracetamol.  In order to determine an unusually high level of the chemical in your system, doctors generally need to run tests for conventional drug overdoses given to people who, for example, swallowed a number of pills at once. Diagnosing this contraindicated overuse of ordinary pain relievers is not common practice.

About 161 cases of what researchers call a “staggered overdose” have been reported in the last six years. What makes this condition perilous is that it is most likely can lead to liver, kidney or brain damage. The Edinburg University research asserts that these patients may soon find themselves in great danger from complications of organ dysfunction.

Efforts are being concerted to develop drugs that will function just as effectively, but without any toxic consequence. In the mean time, researchers urge people to break away from their dependence on tablet pain relievers, and explore alternative ways to relieve pain. Understanding the root cause of your pain, rather than merely masking your symptoms is a healthier holistic approach to pain management that could actually IMPROVE your health.  Lastly, remember to always read your labels and not to exceed the recommended dosage of your tablets.  After all, no quick fix is worth putting yourself at risk of a fatal end.

By Toni Bacala