Comprehending Over The Counter Drugs
Over-the-counter medicines also known as pain relievers can cause an addiction. It may also be dangerous than those drugs down the road.
Over the counter (OTC) medications will be medicines accessible without a prescription at drugstores or pharmacies.
If they are taken in regulated amounts, OTC drugs are usually harmless. These drugs can however be abused just like their more controlled counterparts. As far as potency is concerned, OTC drugs are not as potent as many other illegal substances, but that doesn't mean there's no risk of addiction when they are overused.
Health issues that include loss of memory, kidney failure, heart problems and even death can be caused by OTC drugs abuse.
OTC drugs that are known to be abused include
- Cough medicines (Dextromethorphan, or DXM)
- Cold medicines (Pseudoephedrine)
- Motion sickness medication (Dimenhydrinate)
Help is available for someone who abuses OTC medications; all you have to do is contact us.
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Abuse Of Over The Counter Drugs
OTC medications have different therapeutic uses and impacts, treating deep agony to movement disorder. OTC drugs are, in some cases, abused as a self-treatment for anxiety and depression and similar psychological disorders.
Mishandling these prescriptions can likewise give users a euphoric "high" or mind flights. Drug abuse is the use of a drug for a purpose for which it wasn't intended. While seeking a better high, a person who's misusing OTC drugs may make the change to drugs that are much more potent or even illegal.
Dextromethorphan Or Dxm Cough Medicines
Cough prescriptions can bring about mind flights and an intense high when mishandled. Cough prescriptions are well known among youngsters, as they're regularly promptly available in medication cupboards at home or at a friend's home. Vomiting, increased heart rate, tremors, damaged vision and even brain damage can be caused by the abuse of these drugs. In case you are finding to overcome your addiction to OTC drugs or someone you love abuses them but wants to stop, you can count on us for best assistance.
Cold Medicines For Example Pseudoephedrine
A sympathomimetic drug, pseudoephedrine is the chief ingredient in several medicines used for treating cold. Many people consume a large dose of pseudoephedrine to get the hallucinations effect or to feel high. Methamphetamine can also be made from Pseudoephedrine. Abusing pseudoephedrine can bring about unpredictable pulse, shortness of breath, hypertension, vertigo and seizures.
Pills Used For Treating Motion Sickness Called Dimenhydrinate
Vertigo and motion sickness are commonly treated using Dimenhydrinate. This substance can lead to hallucinations, sickness, skipping heartbeat, ringing in the ears, seizures, and coma or in some extreme cases, death, if it is taken in bigger amounts. This drug's psychedelic side effects are usually the reason for the abuse.
Medication Used For Treating Pain Called Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is the active ingredients in most pain killer medicines, such as Tylenol. Serious damage to the liver among other health complications is what can happen if the drug is repeatedly abused. A person who has taken this drug may also experience stomach aches, sweating, running stomach and nausea. The pain relief brought on by acetaminophen is why people take this drug. Numerous mishandle acetaminophen to treat chronic pain.
Addictions To Over The Counter Medicine
After some time, even the casual OTC drug use can alter the person's brain chemistry. At the end of the day, the human body will develop a tolerance to the OTC drugs after a while, and it will result in the users increasing the dose higher and higher in every use to get the same effects. When these OTC drugs addict try to stop consuming the drugs, they will experience withdrawal symptoms.
Regular side effects of OTC medication withdrawal include
- Entering a confused state
- Anxious feeling
- Mood swings
It can be hard to determine whether someone is addicted to OTC drugs. While drugs such as Cocaine and Heroin are well known for the dangers they pose, OTC drugs are not seen in the same light. Individuals don't generally consider them to be addictive, such a large number of friends and family of individuals dependent on OTC medications don't know to search for signs of a developing issue.
Wasting a lot of time and money to use or acquire OTC drugs, as well as continuous usage of these substances even when the dangers are understood are some of the signs that dependency exists. There are 11 general signs to recognize an addiction to any drug
Statistics On Abuse Of Otc Medicines
Otc Drug Habit Treatment
There are many facilities that have developed treatments for those who are struggling with OTC drug addiction. These are the treatments that have been proven effective to help OTC drug addiction; individual and group therapies, mental health counselling, and psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Inpatient and outpatient recovery programs permit those recouping from OTC medication dependence the assets to get and remain calm. It is highly recommended for OTC drug addicts to join a drug rehab program. It helps the addicts not to consume the drug during the withdrawal symptoms. This program reduces the chance of relapse considerably.
Use The Resources To Kick Your Dependency
It is possible to beat an OTC drug addiction, but it is also very hard. A non-stop medical care is available to users enrolled in inpatient drug treatment programs, while outpatient programs allow addicts to preserve their private lives and still receive help when they go to particular medical facilities. After going through the rehab program, surrounding yourself with an encouraging group or environment is also helpful to stay clean. 12-step group, such as Narcotic Anonymous can provide former addicts a supporting group of people so they can maintain their drug-free life.