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Drug overdose: Are you taking the right amount of medicine?
What you need to know:
An overdose happens when too much of a drug is taken, leading to a toxic effect to the body. While some cases of drug overdose may not be life threatening, in rare cases, it can lead to death. The level of risk also depends on how much of the drug that a person has taken.
As he opens his mouth to swallow the four paracetamol tablets in his hand, Peter Kawumi a trained pharmacist knows he is doing something wrong. But as a way of consoling himself whenever he sits in his one-seater black leather sofa set at 6pm every day, after taking a cool shower, with a glass of water in one hand and the tablets in the other, he tells whoever cares to listen that they will all die at some point and therefore he should be left to relieve his body of the fatigue.
He has just adopted the habit of swallowing four paracetamol tablets on grounds that a single pair was not helping solve his problem. A senior medical officer at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Dr Alfonse Omona says what Kawumi is doing is referred to as drug overdose.
As the term states, an overdose is when someone takes too much of a drug. The senior medical officer explains that the prescribed dosage for paracetamol is two tablets, which should be taken three times a day, for an adult. He goes on to say that drugs are categorised as either prescribed, or over the counter.
“Prescribed drugs are the type that have to be recommended by a doctor, and these can be found in pharmacies. Meanwhile, over the counter drugs are the type that can easily be accessed in drug stores and even retail shops,” he says.
According to him, these drugs include paracetamol, ibruprofen and other painkillers. It is such drugs that are highly overdosed on in Uganda.
Why overdose?
You might wonder why someone would take more than what the doctor has prescribed. But Kawumi is a clear explanation of why people overdose on drugs. Dr Omona says it is because they want to get quick relief.
“Some patients when given drugs, at first they follow the doctor’s prescription. But when the pain persists or they fail to get quick relief, they decide to take more than what has been prescribed.”
He adds that the act of overdosing is also common among people with easy access to the drugs. “Medical personnel are also fond of overdosing on drugs. This is because they have easy access to these drugs and in case of anything; they can just get it and swallow.”
The commissioner clinical services at the Ministry of Health, Dr Jacinto Amandua explains that self-medication is the leading cause of drug overdose.
“At least more than 40 per cent of the population self-medicates even when they know that it is dangerous,” says Dr Amandua.
Dr Omona explains that by self-medicating, some people do not know the right dose they are supposed to take.
“So as a result, they end up taking more than what they are supposed to.”
More so, drug sharing which is mainly done by mothers to their children is another cause of drug overdose.
Dr Omona says when a child falls sick in a family and they get prescribed treatment, the moment they get well, some parents stop the treatment and keep it for the next child who falls sick.
“Little do they know that it is mandatory that this child should always see a doctor before they get treatment. This is because the treatment is prescribed depending on the weight and age of the child.”
Symptoms
While the signs of an overdose might take some time before showing, Dr Omona says some pointers are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, dizziness, loss of balance, seizures (fits, drowsiness, confusion, breathing difficulties, internal bleeding, hallucination, visual disturbances and coma.
Effects
As the saying goes, too much of anything is bad. Dr Omona says this is also true with drug overdose. He states that the effects might not be instant, but if not stopped, the vice can lead to lifelong effects.
“The side effects of drug overdose depend on the type of drugs that have been swallowed since they all have different uses. For example, a drug like diazepam or valium (a drug used for the short-term relief of symptoms related to anxiety disorders) if overdosed, can cause the depression of major organs such as the heart. In serious cases it can even cause death since it has the ability to stop the heart from functioning normally.”
The manager of the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa, Dr Possy Mugyenyi, also adds that commonly overdosed drugs like paracetamol have long-term effects on the liver.
“One of the most dangerous side effects of paracetamol, if used excessively, can damage multiple organs, particularly the liver and kidney.”
Dr Mugyenyi indicates that other commonly over dosed drugs like Ibruprofen, diclofenac and aspirin which are categorised as anti-inflammatory drugs can have a negative impact over the long run.
“These drugs help to reduce inflammation and pain in the process, but they have a tendency of causing ulcers if used in high dosage for a long time.”
Omona states that apart from suicidal cases, it is not common for people to come to hospital and report having overdosed.
“In our clinics, patients come with genuine problems but when you do tests, and also ask them on how they use drugs, you find that they have used all kinds of drugs with no proper prescription thus leading to complications. This is very common among diabetic patients.”
Dr Omona says besides medical drugs, a big number of people over dose on recreational drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana.
He therefore recommends that when a person suspects that they have taken more medicine than what has been prescribed, they should always see a doctor. “When they give you a prescription, follow it to the dot because the doctor gives you a prescription after considering so many factors,” he explains.
