Don’t be fooled: OTC medications can be hazardous to your health
There’s been a lot in the news in recent weeks about the risks of giving infants and children over-the-counter cold medications, because of fears of overdose, drug reactions, etc. I haven’t followed it all too closely since my kids have long ago grown to adulthood and I do not yet have any grandchildren.
But I had a personal example last evening of the risks of over-the-counter medications and overdose for “Old Guys” — namely, ME!
I actually knew about this problem but simply didn’t pay real attention: You should NEVER exceed recommended dosages on over-the-counter pain medications — in this case the drug acetaminophen, commonly referred to by the brand-name version “Tylenol.”
The short version is this: I’ve been struggling with a flare up of arthritis stiffness and pain in my shoulder in recent weeks, so I’ve been pushing pain killers nearly to allowable limits each evening when I go to bed, hoping to sleep through the night with little or no pain. I’ve been taking two of these generic extra-heavy-duty acetaminophen arthritis tablets. Last night, with the shoulder ache especially bad, I took THREE.
After a couple of hours of stomach distress and some nausea things settled down, just before I decided I might have to visit the local emergency room.
DO NOT EXCEED RECOMMENDED DOSAGE LIMITS on acetaminophen. It could literally “blow up” your liver. It may at least cause you a lot of stomach distress.
For that matter, from cold medication to diet pills to pain killers, I know will preach the gospel of sanity to you: Do NOT assume over-the-counter drugs and/or supplements are harmless. Take them very seriously.
I know I’ll take them more seriously now!