7 ill-effects of drug overdose

Do you fail to adhere to dosage recommendation of your prescribed drugs? Here's how overdose of prescription medication can affect your health.

By: Shraddha Rupavate | | Published: February 26, 2014 10:00 am

‘All drugs are poisonous, if not used properly’ — this observation was made early in the 16^th century and till date our habit of popping pills hasn’t changed.

A large number of people still don’t prefer to consult a physician for minor symptoms and land up taking over-the-counter medicines incessantly. Even when doctors prescribe certain medicines, lack of adherence to dosage recommendation and misuse of drugs cause adverse reactions and poisoning in many people.

The most frequently used prescription drugs that can cause drug overdose include opiates (used in relieving pain), stimulants and antidepressants (for sleep disorders and anxiety). These drugs can have severe side-effects on all systems of the body.

1. Mood swings: One of the most common side effects of prescription drug overdose is mood swings. A person taking overdose of medicines could feel calm and relaxed for a moment and extremely irritable at the very next moment. Over a period of time, you may become tolerant to overdose of prescription drugs.

2. Mental problems: Overdose of medicines can have a direct effect on the brain processes. Overdose can affect a person’s ability to perform tasks and the processing time of brain. It reduces alertness and may cause impaired cognition, memory loss and neurological damage.

3. Breathing difficulties and increased palpitations: Certain drugs speed up body processes, especially functioning of the heart. They may cause fluctuations in blood pressure. Breathing may become rapid, slow, deep or shallow. Extreme overdosing can cause chest pain and even heart attack, stroke and lung damage.

4. Sleep disorders: A person with drug overdose is likely to suffer from excessive sleepiness or complete lack of sleep (insomnia), depending on the prescription drug that is taken. Sleep problems due to drug overdose also increases the chances of the person to take additional medicines which in turn may cause drug interaction and adverse side-effects. Here’s how you can beat insomnia naturally with yoga.

5. Gastrointestinal problems: Medicines dissolve in the stomach to get absorbed into the blood stream. When medicines are taken in higher doses, they can cause irritation of the stomach wall. Increased load on the stomach causes stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Adverse events like vomiting blood or blood in bowel movements could be life threatening.

6. Suicidal thoughts: Studies show that antidepressants can greatly increase the levels of a chemical in the brain called serotonin. Although serotonin has a positive effect on people in depression, excess of serotonin can be harmful and can induce suicidal thoughts in people. It has been also found that most people who commit drug related suicides take an overdose of antidepressants combined with alcohol intake.

7. Addiction: Drug addiction occurs when people become dependent on drugs and feel the need to take those medicines for experiencing a continued effect. Once addicted to the drug, a person may find it very difficult to discontinue the use. Withdrawal signs include nausea, sweating, vomiting, shaking, seizures etc. Here are some tips to deal with drug addiction.

Reference:

National Institute of Drug Abuse (http://www.drugabuse.gov/)

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Published : February 26, 2014 10:00 am

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