Using pain relievers without doctor's guidance leads to dependence, addiction

Easy purchase of opioid pain relievers without a prescription or a doctor's guidance will lead to dependence and addiction. 
Using pain relievers without doctor's guidance leads to dependence, addiction ảnh 1 Easy purchase of opioid pain relievers without a prescription or a doctor's guidance will lead to dependence and addiction
Moreover, the long-term abuse of painkillers will cause organ damage, such as stomach bleeding, and kidney and adrenal failure while people with heart diseases can suffer high blood pressure which worsens their heart failure.
A 41-year-old woman in Ho Chi Minh City said that she often suffered headaches, the pain gets worse every time she is stressed or sleepless. Because of work pressure, she did not have time to go to the hospital to wait for her turn to see medical workers; therefore, she frequently bought a Paracetamol pain reliever in reserve.
She disclosed that during the Covid-19 epidemic last year, in addition to the purchase of masks and antiseptic alcohols, she also ordered a container of Paracetamol for fear that the drug running out of stock. She admitted she can live without lipstick, but she can’t live without Paracetamol.
Similarly, a 45-year-old woman in Ho Chi Minh City revealed that she has migraine, a common neurological disease that causes a variety of symptoms, most notably a throbbing, pulsing headache on one side of a person's head; as a result, she visited doctors two years ago.
After taking drugs prescribed by the doctor, her illness improved much, but after stopping the medication, the headache returned. Because she was afraid of going to the hospital, she took painkillers continuously every day. Whenever she ran out of painkillers, she go to a private pharmacy to buy them without a doctor’s prescription. When she was asked whether she is dependent on painkillers, she feels uncomfortable without painkillers.
The two above-mentioned cases are not rare. Many people are addicted to pain relievers. According to medical experts, people should only take pain relievers for treatment within a few days when experiencing mild acute pain such as headache, back pain, or toothache. However, medical workers advised that if patients don’t get better after taking medication for a few days, they should see a doctor who can consider choosing a stronger pain reliever or adding another pain reliever. It can be said that pain relievers only work when people feel pain in their bodies; thus, if the pain is gone, people should stop taking the medicine, to avoid the case that even though the pain is gone, they still have the habit of using the medicine every day.
Pharmacist Vo Thi Ha, a lecturer of Clinical Pharmacy at Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University, cum Deputy Head of the Pharmacy Department in Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital said that pain relievers are divided into groups including over-the-counter pain relievers for mild pain relief, Paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers, opiate-derived analgesics which are effective for extensive pain such as visceral pain, cancer pain and other adjuvant analgesics such as neuroleptics, antispasmodics.
Pharmacist Vo Thi Ha added that using painkillers in excessive doses without following the doctor's instructions can make patients dependent and addicted to pain relievers. She advised to get rid of pain medication with non-drug pain relievers such as meditation, relaxation, and listening to music. In addition, patients should eat healthy food and take exercise. Such a healthy lifestyle will reduce the risk of drug dependence and improve the quality of life.

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