DRUG ABUSE
I awoke on a gorgeous Saturday morning (or perhaps not, given my health). I had a presentation that morning at 11 am, I became quite angry when I realized I wasn’t as nimble as I had been on previous days. I looked at my watch at this point and saw that it was 7:21 am. I took my vehicle keys out of my pocket right away and headed to the hospital to see my doctor. My symptoms, he claimed, were merely indicators of stress. He gave me my prescription pills, which I was to take twice every day for five days in a row. At this point, it was nine o’clock, so I made the decision to take my prescription. I also had a little nap. I decided to take one more medication to help me feel better when I woke up because I still didn’t feel well and couldn’t make it to my presentation that way. Instead, I experienced a sense of weakness and weightlessness. Since I knew I couldn’t show up again, I went back to the doctor, on getting there, he informed me that I had abused that specific drug because of my extensive use. We often forget to complete the prescribed drug once we feel some level of relief. Drug abuse can result in a wide range of health issues, and it’s important to recognize that not just hard substances can be abused
SELF MEDICATION
A buddy of mine once told me the beginning of the story of how he lost his son. When his kid woke up in the middle of the night with complaints of a stomach-ache, constipation, and a headache, his father suggested that perhaps it was simply a case of typical malaria and that he should be given medication the following morning. His son again complained of a sore throat the following morning. The father then made the quick decision to purchase the medications. The father decided he no longer needed to travel to the hospital since his symptoms had subsided. He experienced the same symptoms three weeks later but were now more severe and bothersome. After some thought, his mother decided to take him to the hospital. Her son suffered kidney failure owing to frequent vomiting and diarrheal, which caused him to lose a lot of fluids, the doctor told her when they arrived at the hospital. The doctor said if they had brought him in earlier, they might have been able to treat him. The doctor then advised surgery if he wanted to live. Sadly, the young boy was unable to survive and passed away. The risks of self-medication are numerous, such as incorrect self-diagnosis, delay in seeking medical advice when needed, infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect administration, incorrect dosage, incorrect choice of therapy, masking of severe disease and risk of dependence and abuse. Recent research shows that thousands of people prefer to purchase drugs they have used in the past. Never assume the same treatment for similar past situations, consider visiting the doctor today for proper examination and treatment.
#MEMBA 11
