Don’t Get Addicted To Your Cure

They say the cure shouldn’t be worse than the disease. But sometimes the medicine can actually cause the very symptoms it’s supposed to treat.
Nowhere is this more apparent than with headache remedies. Millions of people rely on drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), naproxen (Aleve) and aspirin to relieve their headaches. Over-reliance on such drugs can actually create a vicious cycle of chronic head pain.
Many headache sufferers don’t realize that the pain relievers they swallow can become part of the problem. According to Dr. Joel Saper, Director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute, “It’s very common . to see patients who come in taking incredibly large doses of over-the-counter medicines on a daily basis. We had one man .[who] was taking over 55 over-the-counter tablets per day every day of his life for years.
“His pain was so intense and he was so caught in this rebound that he could not stop these medicines on his own. He had to be put in the hospital.and .went through a period of withdrawal and abstinence that closely mimicked what we see with narcotic medications.”
Obviously, a person gulping 55 tablets a day is an extreme example. But how can others tell if their analgesics may be part of the problem? Dr. Stephen Silberstein, Professor of Neurology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA, offers this simple rule for anybody treating a headache with a nonprescription medication: “If they use it on a regular basis more than two or three times a week, then that’s too much.”
Pain relievers aren’t the only problem, though. Many medications can produce a “rebound” effect if they are overused. Decongestant nasal sprays are a classic example. The ingredients in products such as Afrin, Dristan 12 Hour, Sinarest 12 Hour and Vicks Sinex work by constricting blood vessels in the nose.
When people rely on such products for more than the three-day limit, however, they may experience rebound congestion. For some, this stuffiness is so unpleasant that they continue to use the nose spray, sometimes for months or years.
Laxatives can also lead to constipation if they are overused. People who rely on harsh laxatives may find that they too get caught up in a vicious cycle. The body can become accustomed to chemical stimulation. Without it, a person may have difficulty establishing a normal rhythm.
Prescription drugs are also capable of causing the very symptoms they are supposed to alleviate. Valium (diazepam) and similar anti-anxiety agents like Ativan (lorazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam) can calm jittery nerves and help people fall asleep at night. But when such drugs are discontinued abruptly after weeks of use, some people experience rebound anxiety or insomnia. Many may find it difficult to stop taking these medications unless they are tapered off gradually.
All of these medicines, from pain relievers to laxatives, from nasal sprays to sleeping pills, can be helpful when used appropriately. But labels are often inadequate and people may not understand the significance of a warning. To avoid perpetuating the symptom you are trying to treat, make certain that you are not overusing your medication!