You come home from work with an aching back. You really overdid it today so you pop a few Tylenol to handle it. Not even an hour later and you take another because the previous dose hasn’t kicked in yet.
A Tylenol or two in moderation to relieve mild aches and pains is fine but it’s a slippery slope. If you overdo it like in the example above you may find yourself waking up in a hospital bed.
To help you avoid this worst-case scenario, we’re going to answer the question, can painkillers kill you? Spoiler alert. They totally can.
1. Proper Use
The first step in avoiding death from pain killers is to practice proper use. The main things to keep in mind here is not to take them with alcohol and don’t take them before you drive.
Don’t Take with Alcohol
Alcohol doesn’t mix well with pain medication or any medication for that matter. One increases the effects of the other which can kill you.
You should also avoid using pain killers with other prescription drugs. Some of the ingredients may not mesh so well together which can again, put you in the hospital or kill you.
Don’t Take Them Before You Drive
Certain pain killers can make you feel tired so you don’t want to take them before you go out on the road. It’s possible that you’ll fall asleep at the wheel and hurt yourself or someone else.
2. Bottle Instructions are There for a Reason
The dosage instructions on the bottle are there for a reason. If it says to wait two hours before taking another pill, you should wait that long. If you triple the dose because it’s not working you won’t find the relief you’re looking for.
Instead, it could cause you to overdose or, leave you feeling like you have to take more and more pills each time to get the results you need. This is a slippery slope into addiction. If you feel like you’ve crossed this bridge, you’ll need to find a drug intervention programs.
4. Overdose
If you make one of the mistakes we’ve talked about above you may start to have an overdose. Call 911 immediately if you start to experience the following:
- Confusion
- Slow breathing
- Being tired, or nodding off
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Cold or clammy skin
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Nausea
You may mistake some of these symptoms as just being a little tired. You will be tempted to lay down but avoid this. If you give in to it you may never wake back up.
Can Painkillers Kill You? The Answer is Yes
Can painkillers kill you? The answer is a strong yes. If not taken properly or taken with another substance you may very well overdose and find yourself in the hospital or worse. Use this guide so you know how to avoid this dark and gloomy outcome.
Convinced that you may be having negative symptoms due to the pain killers you’ve been taking? Visit our health blog to find out all you need to know on pills.