For headaches, body aches or passing discomfort, many people buy painkillers or antibiotics from a pharmacy themselves. They may ease the pain at first, but taking these drugs for long periods without medical advice can quietly harm the body, especially the kidneys, a health report in Desh Rupantor warns.
Frequent painkillers disturb the stomach, causing indigestion, gas and discomfort. The most dangerous aspect is that kidney damage shows no clear symptoms until a large part of the kidney is affected; many people who feel well learn of it only when a routine blood test shows high creatinine, and by then the damage often cannot be reversed.
According to the report, taking a painkiller for a day or two carries little risk for a healthy person, but taking one several times a week for several weeks strains the kidneys. Dehydration, old age, diabetes or existing kidney problems mean even small amounts can cause serious harm.
Many people take antibiotics for viral fever, colds or viral breathing problems, yet antibiotics do not work against viruses. Unnecessary or excessive antibiotics can damage kidney cells or inflame the kidneys, and not following the prescribed dose and duration breeds antibiotic resistance.
Those at greatest risk are people with kidney disease or diabetes, the elderly, children, pregnant women, people who are chronically dehydrated and those with heart failure or liver disease. Specialists advise finding the cause of pain rather than masking it with drugs, and seeing a doctor instead of deciding alone if painkillers or antibiotics seem to be needed regularly.
Photo: Radler22 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); a representative picture of painkiller tablets
Source: Desh Rupantor
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