The humid and unusually hot and cold weather caused Mr. Ye (60 years old, in Zhejiang, China) to have a sore throat. Due to a history of gout, his entire body ached. To reduce the discomfort, he proactively doubled his usual dose of painkillers. On the most frequent day, he took up to 12 ibuprofen anti-inflammatory painkillers a day.
Less than a week later, Mr. Ye had abdominal pain and bloody stools, so his family took him to the hospital.
Abuse of painkillers is very dangerous to health. Illustration photo
Doctors said they received the patient in a pale state, with hemoglobin dropping below 50 g/L (normal hemoglobin in adult men is 120 - 160 g/L) and in hemorrhagic shock. After many tests, the patient was diagnosed with acute gastric mucosal damage due to an overdose of painkillers, which led to life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding.
Doctors said that due to the patient's hemoglobin concentration dropping to 39 g/L, the patient's stomach perforation was so large that it could not heal after surgery to stop the bleeding, and his abdominal cavity was severely infected, so doctors had to surgically remove most of his stomach to save his life.
7 scary effects of abusing painkillers
Doctors recommend: When people are sick, they must see a doctor for examination and treatment advice. Do not use drugs on your own. Only use drugs when absolutely necessary and must have instructions on how to use and dosage from a doctor.
Difficulty in diagnosing the disease
For example, high blood pressure, neurasthenia, insomnia often have symptoms of headache. If you take painkillers on your own, the headache will be reduced. For complicated, dangerous diseases such as appendicitis, appendiceal peritonitis, etc., taking medicine on your own is even more dangerous because the medicine can mask the symptoms but the disease still progresses to a more serious condition.
Illustration
Causes liver damage
Painkillers, especially paracetamol, can be harmful to the liver due to the peroxide formed by the metabolism of paracetamol in the body. Therefore, attention should be paid to the dosage when using paracetamol. Taking 8 tablets (500 mg) in one day can cause serious acute liver damage, especially in people who drink alcohol and have a history of liver disease.
Stomach irritation
One of the common side effects of painkillers is stomach irritation, especially when taken on an empty stomach. You may experience nausea and heartburn. Painkillers such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen… can irritate the stomach, even causing ulcers and stomach bleeding.
Causes kidney failure
Pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen can cause kidney damage and kidney failure in people with diabetes and high blood pressure, especially those with a history of kidney disease.
Abortion
Women who take painkillers during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy are at increased risk of miscarriage. Consult your doctor before taking any painkillers if you are planning to become pregnant or are pregnant.
Causes blood thinning
Pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen have blood-thinning properties. Aspirin may be beneficial for people with blood clotting problems and heart disease.
Causes depression
Painkillers reduce the effectiveness of antidepressants. People with depression should limit their use of painkillers.
Note when using pain relievers to reduce the risk of side effects
Illustration
- Children under 16 years old should not use aspirin because it can affect the brain and liver because children's bodies and development are very different from adults.
- Pregnant and lactating women should not use drugs that can affect the fetus or the quality of breast milk, including drugs related to pain relief, fever reduction, and anti-inflammation.
- Elderly people need to be very careful about side effects of the ingredients of the drug because at this stage, liver, kidney and digestive tract function may not be as healthy as in youth.
How to prevent and treat complications caused by painkiller abuse
- Take pain medication as prescribed by your doctor regarding type, dosage and duration of use.
- Do not change medication on your own or combine multiple pain relievers at the same time.
- If you experience complications from taking too many painkillers such as liver damage, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, drug addiction, etc., you should see a doctor for timely treatment.
- To limit the use of painkillers, you can rest in a quiet space, apply cold to the painful area, gently massage...
Source
Comment (0)