Small painkiller packs recommended

Only small painkiller packaging

06/27/2012

For some time doctors and health experts criticize the massive side effects of analgesics. Especially with an overdose serious side effects can occur. In order to curb the excessive consumption of painkillers, over-the-counter remedies such as acetaminophen or aspirin should only be sold in small packages by pharmacies. At least the experts of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) recommend this. Critics of the design say that brings little. Finally, patients can simply go to the nearest pharmacy and buy another pack. They argue instead for a general prescription obligation.

Millions of pain patients in Germany consume painkillers without medical prescription. If headaches or back pain occur, many people take a pill for the pain. In advertising, the consumer is mediated by the pharmaceutical industry, the drug „turn off the pain quickly“ and that was the health problem done.

Only small packs
According to the latest research, around 3.8 million Germans regularly take non-prescription painkillers for complaints of all kinds. Many people are unaware of the dangers, which is why high dosages are not uncommon. Even small amounts of the active ingredients can lead to severe damage to the liver and not a few people have already died of the painkillers. In view of the almost inflationary use of analgesic drugs, the expert committee of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices recommends that only small packages of medication be allowed for sale in the future. Accordingly, agents such as paracetamol, aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen or naproxen should be sold only in small size without a medical certificate in pharmacies. The idea behind it: The packs should only last for pain therapies of up to four days. It is precisely this time span that is evaluated by physicians with a relative risk. Even the most commonly used drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) should be affected.

According to the institute, every year about 3,300 patients have to be treated in a clinic due to overdosage or misuse. Most of those affected had consumed the painkillers for an extended period of time without a doctor's prescription.

Serious side effects from painkillers
The drug expert Professor dr. Kay Brune from the University of Erlangen goes one step further. He recently stated that the analgesic acetaminophen should not even be passed on to patients by prescription, although the drug has been on the list of indispensable medicines from the World Health Organization since the 1970s. For from a dosage of 10 grams of active ingredient daily can follow non-reversible damage to the liver cells. It could even be an acute failure of the liver. This mainly affects people who suffer from alcohol dependence or low excretion of the active substance. Then just a few grams are enough to carry off a liver damage. In the UK alone, around 30,000 people are taken to a clinic each year for drug-poisoning. Every year around 150 people would succumb to poisoning there, according to the expert.

The naturopath Tobias Meise reported in this context that "naturopathy offers numerous pain treatments without side effects that have already been clinically confirmed in their effectiveness." Yet only very few people resort to alternative treatments. "A pill is just taken quickly," says Meise. For example, willow bark contains an analgesic that is very similar to ASA.

General prescription required
The poison information center in Erfurt also warns against the use of painkillers. Therefore, a should „general prescription requirement for pain medications are introduced“, As a spokesman recently demanded. The center reports daily requests for patient overdosage. A prescription requirement could contain the problem, so the hope. Numerous physicians are therefore calling for further steps. Simply limiting the size of the pack is not enough, according to many analysts. The Federal Ministry of Health confirmed in a request the proposals of the Federal Institute. Now the Ministry wants „check to what extent they can be implemented“. A decision on measures would be made by the Ministry of Health in a timely manner. (Sb)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann