Archive for October, 2011
Everyone Self Medicates
Addiction has a stigma and many people do not want to be associated as having an addiction. Most times we only see drugs or alcohol as problems of addiction, when in actuality people can be addicted to almost anything. Shopping, gambling, food, sex, internet, video games, work, and religion are just a few things people can be addicted to. Anyone is susceptible to developing an addiction when looked at it from this perspective.
Engaging in certain behaviors will produce chemical changes in the brain, tickling reward centers and reinforcing the behavior. The more one uses people, places and things to escape uncomfortable feelings, the stronger the impulse grows in the brain to continue the behavior. Self-medicating behaviors that were always present become more of an addiction.
Some activities will elicit a faster or long-lasting change in the brain chemistry which also contributes to the repetitive pattern of participation. When these activities begin to interfere with daily functioning, relationships, employment, finances and/or legal issues, an individual may have to begin thinking about changing his or her behavior.
A look at the development of harmless self medicating behavior to addiction:
A man comes home from a bad day at work to a cold and nagging wife and screaming kids. He has a couple beers with dinner which takes the edge off from the bad work day. He is able to relax around his children. After a couple of months, he begins to have a beer right when he walks through the door from work. He is tired and unable to tolerate his wife’s nagging coupled with his children’s behaviors. He begins using beer as a way of dealing with uncomfortable feelings produced in his environment. By dinner time, he has already consumed four beers. After dinner he continues to drink, since he perceives that he has more energy and he is more fun with the children. His wife becomes mad with him stating that he is drinking too much and isn’t paying enough time and attention to her. He begins to have massive arguments with his wife reinforcing the desire to drink to escape. He becomes more distant with his family and now has trouble waking up for work because of binge drinking on the weekends.
This is how an addiction can develop from seemingly harmless behavior. The man in our story was not coping well with stress, communicating with his wife, and parenting his children. He chooses to use alcohol to relax which produced a chemical change in his brain and over time he increased his consumption. Now he is aging with his wife, has become distant with his family, and is having trouble waking up for work. The next step may be an alcohol rehab center with dual diagnosis treatment where he can get help for both his addiction and anxiety. Usually there is not a time period for the development of addiction as it can happen quickly or over a number of years. The devastation addiction produces is similar regardless of the self-medicating choice.
The disease of addiction is often characterized as cunning, baffling and powerful. The development of addiction is not always obvious. It is important to be self-aware of how we are dealing with daily problems, uncomfortable feelings and stress to decrease chances of developing an addiction.
A Few Things You May Not Know About Drug Interactions
Drug interactions happen more often than you might think. Anytime you mix another drug with your medication there is the possibility of some negative result. If medications can’t combine to work together appropriately they could cancel each other out or cause more undesirable reactions.
Q. How serious is drug interaction?
A: Side effects vary. They can be mild and fairly harmless to severe and life-threatening. Just listening to the list of possible side effects in a pharmaceutical commercial can give you some idea. It has been reported that adverse drug reactions is the fourth leading cause of death.
The risk multiplies with the number of drugs you use. According to the FDA around 40 percent of people in the US take at least four prescription medications. Seniors are at greater risk since they generally take more prescriptions. Other factors figure in such as age, weight, diet, disease, type of medication, and overall condition of the patient.
Q. What are some examples of harmful drug combinations?
A: Drug-drug interactions can develop with any drug including illegal substances, prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal remedies. Food-drug interactions can also arise when eating or drinking certain things while taking a drug. Drug-condition interactions can result in a patient with a particular medical condition.
Some examples of each of these:
• Taking an over-the-counter antihistamine after a sedative can produce unwanted drowsiness.
• Prescription blood thinners and aspirin or the herbal supplement ginkgo can trigger excessive bleeding.
• Antacids affect with the way some medicines are absorbed, threatening their effectiveness.
• Certain cholesterol-lowering drugs hinder a brand of heart-rhythm medicines.
• A class of drug for depression can mess with blood pressure medicine and bronchodilators needed for breathing problems.
• Dairy products hamper an antibiotic’s absorption into the bloodstream and drinking grapefruit juice can impact over 50 different prescriptions.
• Mixing alcohol with various drugs is especially risky for any number of adverse effects. And alcohol with aspirin or Ibuprofen can result in stomach bleeding.
• Many decongestants will raise blood pressure.
• Blood pressure drugs called beta blockers may intensify breathing difficulties with asthma or COPD patients.
Q. What is the best way to avoid unpleasant medication reactions?
A. Be aware and involved in your own health.
• Keep a current list of all your prescription drugs as well as over-the counter, natural or herbal remedies.
• Make sure your doctors have an up-to-date list also.
• Carefully read package inserts and information sheets included with your prescriptions.
• Read the labels on all over-the-counter treatments and heed the warnings.
• Take advantage of online tools to learn about possible interactions concerning you.
• Consult with a Medical Expert or pharmacist.