Woman’s Own – 19 August 2019

What’stheworry?

Despitethesaleofdrugslikeparacetamol

beingrestrictedinsupermarketstohelp

preventthembeingusedforintentional

harm,itdoesn’tstoplong-termmisuse.

‘It’ssurprisinglyeasytotakeadeadly

overdoseunintentionally,’saysDrBrewer.

‘ResearchersatEdinburghUniversity

havewarnedthattakingjustafewpills

toomanyoverdays,weeksormonths

couldresultinastaggered,accidental

overdosewithpossibleliverinjury.’

Long-termdangers

Non-steroidalanti-inflammatorydrugs

(knownasNSAIDs)likeaspirinand

ibuprofencanalsoharmyou.AUS

studyfounddamagetothesmall

intestinesinmorethan70%ofpeople

who’dbeentakingthemforoverthree

months.‘NSAIDsaresuitablefor

relievingimmediatepain,butnotfor

self-medicatinginlong-termconditions,

suchaschronicbackache,jointpainor

arthritis,’saysDrDickMiddleton,director

oftheBritishHerbalMedicinesAssociation

(bhma.info).‘Theycancausestomach

irritationleadingtogastricbleeds.’

46%

ofBritsexperience

lowmood

mostdays

orevery

dayas

aresult

ofpain,says

LloydsPharmacy

*SURVEY BY PUKKA HERBS. WORDS: FAYE M SMITH PHOTOS

(POSED

BY

MODELS):

GETTY

Anthistamines

‘Too many can cause dry

mouth, drowsiness, blurred

vision, difficulty urinating,

rapid pulse, tremor and

confusion’ says Dr Brewer.

HERBAL ALTERNATIVE:

Bromelain (£15.95,

healthspan.co.uk), helps

reduce nasal inflammation.

BEST BUY: Allergy Reliever

(£19.99, LloydsPharmacy),

uses red-light therapy to help

suppresshistamine.

What’s the saf

Paracetamol

‘Long-term use is associated

with a 68% higher risk of heart

attack and stroke, and increases

kidney and gastrointestinal side

effects,’ warns Dr Brewer.

HERBAL ALTERNATIVE: Atrosan

Paracetamol

isn’t a long-term

solution to

ongoing pain

is your daily

dose?

Youmaythinkthey’reharmless,

butover-the-countermedicines

couldbemakingyouunwell

How dangerous

D

o you always throw a packet of

painkillers or antacids into your

trolley during your weekly shop?

If so, you’re not alone. A quarter

of Brits rely on prescribed or over-the-

counter (OTC) medicines every day*.

It’s not a harmless habit.

Earlier this year, TV host Judy

Finnigan revealed she had four large

stomach ulcers after taking

painkillers too regularly for knee

problems. ‘You assume they’re safe

but they can have side effects and

are harmful if you take too much,’

says registered doctor and author Dr

Sarah Brewer (drsarahbrewer.com).

Are you unwittingly putting yourself

at risk? Here’s the lowdown...

Meet our experts...

Dr Sarah Brewer

(d rs a rahbrewe r.com )

is a registered doctor

a nd author.

Dr Dick Middleton

is a registered

pharmacist and

director of the

British Herbal Medicines

Association (bhma.info).