It’s not uncommon to be prescribed painkillers after, say, surgery. In the short-run, medications like these can be quite helpful if following proper guidelines in terms of dosage and general usage. However, while medically prescription, there’s still a chance one can become reliant on these drugs.
If used regularly, here are some of the potential dangers pain killers may present:
1. Drowsiness
One of the biggest side effects of short- and long-term painkiller usage is drowsiness. Feeling drowsy can have a negative effect on general functioning and may pose danger while operating machinery or driving a vehicle.
2. Addiction
While not everyone becomes addicted to painkillers, for those that do, painkiller addiction can be brutal. One may become so reliant on the drug that their whole life revolves around getting and using it.
3. Increased Pain Sensitivity
Ironically, long-term painkiller usage can actually lead to a lower pain threshold as one’s nociceptors become more sensitive to stimuli. This symptom is called hyperalgesia.
4. Tolerance
Someone who has taken painkillers for a while may notice that they have to take more medication in order to achieve the high they’re looking for. This is a sign that the body has become tolerant or used to the drug.
In those with an active addiction, this often means regularly increasing their painkiller dosage, which in turn is more costly and harmful to the body.
5. Nausea
Painkillers can trigger gastrointestinal issues, which can in turn trigger nausea. In turn, this results in general discomfort and possible vomiting.
6. Weaker Immunity
Due to the negative impacts painkillers can have on users’ immune systems, they may pose higher risk of viral, bacterial, and even fungal infections as painkillers tend to change how immune cells function in the body.
7. Obesity
While more research needs to be conducted on metabolism and painkiller use, weight gain or obesity may be another hidden danger of painkillers. Part of this may have to do with the sedative nature of these drugs.
8. Respiratory Failure
Not only can painkillers slow one’s breathing and heart rate, but it can potentially lead to difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, or respiratory failure.
9. Constipation
While it’s certainly not the worst hidden danger, it’s definitely uncomfortable. Painkillers have a sedative reaction in the body, which in the digestive tract as stool moves more slowly through the bowel in users.
Anyone who has had constipation knows how painful it can be and generally how horrible it can make you feel. If severe enough, constipation can even land you in the emergency room.
10. Overdose
With improper usage of any drug comes the possibility of overdosing, which may result in the loss of one’s life. If you’re reading this, it isn’t too late. Consider attending rehab for barbiturates and pain killer addictions. Accepting the help you need is the first step to becoming clean.
Conclusion
Painkillers can be useful to relieve pain if used based on a doctor’s recommendation and directions. In the long-term, the use of painkillers can pose a long list of dangers. Some of these dangers include, but are not excluded to, reduced immune system function and possible respiratory failure.