Epidemic of unprescribed over-the-counter drugs poses lethal threat of kidney failure

[webfact]

Epidemic of unprescribed over-the-counter drugs poses lethal threat of kidney failure
By Poungchompoo Prasert
The Nation

 

Thanapol Dokkaew

 

BANGKOK: -- AS MANY people are keen on buying cheap over-the-counter medicine without a prescription, the story of Thanapol Dokkaew who had kidney failure at the age of 30 over a decade ago and the death of a 17-year-old athlete from the alleged use of unprescribed medicine could serve as cautionary tales.

 

“During the time I worked for a big private company, I often bought medicine from drug stores for Bt5 to Bt10 per set to treat muscle strain. By the time I was aware of its danger, it was too late, I had kidney failure at the age of 30,” recalled 45-year-old Thanapol, who is now president of the Friends of Kidney Disease Club. 

 

Many pharmacies sell over-the-counter medicine sets involving several different medicines to treat common symptoms over the course of two to three days, which often include unnecessary antibiotics or other substances that can be harmful to the patient.

 

“Whenever I felt muscle strain, I would take this cheap and easy-to-buy medicine, which also later seemed to require a larger dosage, at up to four sets at a time, to get rid of my symptom,” he said. He later developed unusual swelling and was diagnosed as having Phase 3 kidney failure, which required hemodialysis treatment. 

 

“I still sought other medicines besides those prescribed by my doctor because I wanted to be cured and I believed in the advertisements. I even bought those Bt12,000 to Bt25,000 medicines for use for three months,” he said. Despite his self-treatment, his kidney condition worsened to become the last phase of chronic renal failure, which doctors blamed on his use of over-the-counter medicine. 

 

“I have been suffering to merely survive from the three times a week hemodialysis regime in the past decade,” he said. Thanapol underwent kidney transplant surgery 11 months ago and he now has to take immmuno-suppressant medication for the rest of his life. 

 

“Beware of medicine, supplements and herbal products with exaggerated advertising, such as a kidney-detoxing and nourishing supplements that boasts a cure to renal failure patients without the need to get hemodialysis,” he said. 

 

“Renal failure patients must take prescribed medicine. If you take over-the-counter pills due to advertisements and ignore your prescribed treatment, it could worsen your condition and you may die,” he said, adding that companies were making money by selling low-cost products for Bt7,000 to Bt25,000.

 

 

Another story about a 17-year-old young man was published by Medical Council of Thailand board member Dr Chanwalee Srisukho in October 2015. The teenager’s 45-year-old mother told Chanwalee that she had donated her kidney to the her son who suffered kidney failure after a year of prolonged and frequent use of medicine with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). He used the drugs to treat muscle strain but he died a year after surgery from complications.

 

Dr Chairat Chayakul, a kidney disease expert at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said that 8 million Thais had chronic kidney disease and there were about 8,000 new cases every year. Most patients suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure can slow down kidney deterioration by controlling their diet, doing regular exercise and using medicine rationally, he said.

 

However, up to 10 per cent of patients do not follow doctors’ advice. “They believe taking a lot of medicine will affect their kidneys or they simply were bored of taking the prescribed medicines,” he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30309210

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-03-16

 

[Get Real]

The epedemic of the result of taking the medicin is not the problem. The epidemic of always running to a pharmacy as soon as they have a sneeze is!

[Nigeone]

Sadly this has been a issue in Uk also ..Everyone rushing to GP's for antibiotics and only now are they seeing the problems of immune to antibiotics and health problems because of them.. GP's have a lot to answer for for dishing them out to freely .

Here it's just wrong that so much is available over the counter with no checks or records .. 

Edited March 16, 2017 by Nigeone

[rkidlad]

There's a great documentary on Netflix about the overuse of antibiotics. How it's making us weaker and we may soon not be able to fight off the most basic viruses because they've adapted. 

 

On the rare occasion I have a hangover, I'll drop a couple of aspirin. My missus always grunts and says "that's bad for your insides". I reply that it's simply a couple of aspirin to help with the headache. On the rare occasion I get sick (cold, fever usually) my missus is super quick to say "Let's go to the hospital. You have insurance so free medicine". I explain that I can fight off illness by myself. I rest, drink lots of fluids and take my vitamins. And just like that, a day or two later, I'm back to 100% fitness. Missus is always surprised.

 

I find hospitals here are not so much for hypochondriacs as they are for narcissists. Like when the doctor gives you a clean bill of health and you get a lollipop. People love to see the doctor with their 'special' condition. Doctor gives them a big bag of medicine and tells them to rest. They feel special, and because they're so sick, people must be super sensitive around them. "I'm sick;ergo, be nice to me and do everything for me". Excuse the pun, but it's infectious behaviour. 

 

All these drugs are making us weaker. People need to understand that eating well, exercising, taking your vitamins and avoiding stress is the best medicine. It's free. We all know this information, but at the same time, we don't. We keep ignoring it because we think we're special and we think it's unfair we can't just live how we want without consequence. It's not fair so I'm going to do what I want.

 

Sadly, it always boils down to people thinking they're unique and special. You don't wanna take care of yourself - go nuts. But don't complain when it comes back to bite you in the ass. "But some people take care of themselves and still get ill!". Yes, they do. It's called life. It's not called karma. 

 

 

[kiwikeith]

2 hours ago, Get Real said:

The epedemic of the result of taking the medicin is not the problem. The epidemic of always running to a pharmacy as soon as they have a sneeze is!

 

When Thais arrive to visit overseas they always have lots of bags full of coloured pills incase they get sick.

In my home in LOS my Thai family always seem to have lots of little plastic bags full of pills that they don't know what they are named or what they are for, but the pharmacist gave them to them.

yes amazing Thailand.

[Get Real]

Just now, kiwikeith said:

 

When Thais arrive to visit overseas they always have lots of bags full of coloured pills incase they get sick.

In my home in LOS my Thai family always seem to have lots of little plastic bags full of pills that they don't know what they are named or what they are for, but the pharmacist gave them to them.

yes amazing Thailand.

Then it´s just the mentality to eat them. They work for everything! LOL

Some of them even works to cure existing life form.

[Saradoc1972]

Might be a failure to *read* things. That slip of paper in the packaging is not there because there still was space. Especially in the case of paracetamol, which might likely be what the guy in the article might have been taking for years on end before his renal system gave out, you can notice it says 1000 mg maximum dose, 2000 mg max per day and all sorts of cautionary advice about long term use.

 

I would not want to have to go to a clinic to buy simple things like paracetamol, here or in Europe, of which I maybe use some 10x500mg per year, a pharmacy is not necessarily giving you more advice. So while there should be a call to make life more complicated, people should be educated about medication, and certainly doctors here about should tone down prescribing a plethora of meds like M&Ms.

[Suradit69]

3 hours ago, Get Real said:

The epedemic of the result of taking the medicin is not the problem. The epidemic of always running to a pharmacy as soon as they have a sneeze is!

Sort of like people in the west who pitch up in hospital emergency units with every trivial thing and expect to be given medication ... and the doctors who comply in order to get rid of them without an argument.

[connda]

Specifics.  Specifically which medicines?  Just stating that 'over-the-counter medicines' pose a danger of kidney failure is painting an incredibly broad brush strokes.  If the guy highlighted in the article suffered kidney damage driectly reated to medicines bought in a pharmacy, which meds and in what doses was he taking them?  Really.  Too much table salt can cause renal failure over time.  Perhaps they should warn us of over-the-counter foods

[Kasset Tak]

If i have a head ache I will take a paracetamol

If I have a back ache I will eat 2-3x50mg diclofenac/day for 2-3 days

If I have an ear ache I will go see the doctor as I have a history of ear and sinus infections in the past

 

If you know what's wrong and what you need then you can buy the medicine that you need from the pharmacy but if you don't know what's wrong or what you need then go see a doctor. But the one thing that I don't do is eating those "ready mixes" that so many pharmacies sells:

I needed some allergy medicine but at the pharmacy they handed me 10 bags, each with 5 different pills and told 1 bag a day, just before sleep. I didn't really feel comfortable with that as I have been eating allergy medication (when needed) for the last 25 years, so I asked what each bag contained: 3 different allergy medicines, a NSAID and one sulfa antibiotic... I went to another pharmacy and ordered a 10 pack of cetirizine instead as that's what the doctor prescribed me in the past!

 

 

[JAG]

Whenever I or my wife had need to visit a pharmacy with my toddler daughter she was always given a little bag of Vitamin C pills.

In a way quite a sweet custom, and I am sure well meaning, but it does have the effect of getting the youngest children used to taking pills.

I always used to loose them on the way home...

[tukkytuktuk]

Whenever I or my wife had need to visit a pharmacy with my toddler daughter she was always given a little bag of Vitamin C pills.

In a way quite a sweet custom, and I am sure well meaning, but it does have the effect of getting the youngest children used to taking pills.

I always used to loose them on the way home...

My son has in the past had hot fever's and colds. My Thai wife insists we go to the doctor and get him antibiotics. I have refused every time but once when he had a fever for 2 weeks. Then I allowed antibiotics to treat him. The thing that surprises me is first aid. If he get a cut or grazes his knee, my wife will wash it and that's it. I disinfect the wound, dress it and change the plasters regularly. I keep a first aid box stocked up read for emergencies.

As for vitamin C tablets. They are the candy for kids in my street. I bin any packets I find brought home by my wife. I instead buy candy from the 7/11 and give it to my son or leave bag's of candy around the house. Of course we also have plenty fruit lying around in bowls or cut up in the fridge. Fruit juice, milk and yoghurt too.

Although my sweet tooth is what let's me down. I do tend to eat rubbishy convenience food, swirl beer and smoke. Bad habits are hard to stop.

[DoctorB]

6 hours ago, rkidlad said:

There's a great documentary on Netflix about the overuse of antibiotics. How it's making us weaker and we may soon not be able to fight off the most basic viruses because they've adapted. 

 

 

Actually it's not viruses that have adapted to antibiotics but bacteria. Antibiotics have no role to play in the treatment of viruses. Antibiotics are purely for the treatment of bacterial infections.

[rkidlad]

10 minutes ago, DoctorB said:

Actually it's not viruses that have adapted to antibiotics but bacteria. Antibiotics have no role to play in the treatment of viruses. Antibiotics are purely for the treatment of bacterial infections.

Okay, so bacteria.

 

The problem remains. 

[Golden Triangle]

I have to agree with all of you on this issue/problem, if I feel slightly out of sorts I adjust my life style accordingly, rest, fluids and food, a day or two later back to 100%.

 

My Mrs on the other hand want's to go see the Dr, unless they have a bag of pills to take they feel cheated.

 

Last year I had a slightly infected ingrown Toe nail, her in doors insisted we get down to the clinic, I refused, I just soaked my foot in warm salt water frequently for a few days, hey presto, all cleared up.

 

Overuse of drugs in this country is appalling. 

 

  

[mrfill]

'I believed in the advertisements. '

 

Don't