Real Topics

Medic-ALL(09:25:2015) DRUGS TO ILL YOU? By Lanre Okikiolu and Kayode Kuku

I used to think that drugs were basically  pills, syrups and injections. But I’ve come to learn that a drug is any substance which, when taken, can affect our bodily functions-either positively or negatively. Drugs can be in the form of pills, injections, skin cream and even gases as they are used in anesthesia. 

Acetaminophen is a drug but so are coffee and tea which contain caffeine and theophylline (methylxanthines) respectively , and even cigarettes which contain nicotine if we were to take into consideration their active ingredients.I guess most of us have no  reason to be offended then, when someone poses the question “Are you on drugs?”

It looks like most people are on some kind of drugs either it's a daily dose of morning coffee plus soda in the afternoon or some synthetic "recreational" drug taken to feed an addiction. People take drugs deliberately or otherwise, and for many  different reasons. There are drugs for all sorts of problems, from drugs to relieve pain and fever to drugs to treat various health problems, there are those that help lose weight; drugs to enhance mood, improve sexual function and even drugs that have the effect of inducing memory loss. Basically drugs can affect multiple systems in the body, the reason why we tag certain effects "side effects" , because they produce effects other than the expected ones on specific target organs.

Drugs are wonderful!

But there’s a problem on the rise in Nigerian and many parts of the world, like was mentioned in toxicology classes in medical school, Every Drug is a Potential Poison! All drugs have side effects which can often be life-threatening. These effects are called Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs).

In many countries, ADRs were found to be the 4th leading cause of death-beating AIDS and even Road Traffic Accidents! Many drug-related deaths have been known to be due either directly or indirectly to  ADRs subsequent to  drug misuse.

History check....

A wonder drug was launched in 1957. Recommended specially for use in pregnancy, it had excellent calming effects when used for Morning Sickness. It was a huge success- until the drug was linked to the sudden and disastrous epidemic of babies born without arms and legs! The name of the drug? Thalidomide. It was removed from the market in 1961.

Most drugs in the market are not evil in themselves, but are only harmful when used wrongly. A friend will have me share his story:

Duke is a 26-year old guy who was brought to our clinic because of a strange illness-he had serious rashes all over his body; wounds that wouldn’t heal; and a bad cough. He had lost weight significantly, and looked like a horror movie skeleton! What’s more, he had begun to act weird by talking to himself and having sudden mood changes.

We immediately suspected some form of immunosuppressive illness, probably HIV or Tuberculosis, and one of the doctors on ground even mentioned that we keep Diabetes in mind! 

 The patients HIV screen returned  Negative and it wasn’t until we carefully dug into his social and drug history that we discovered the problem: he had been using a lot of Steroid-containing skin creams over the last several months. Steroids are useful in inflammatory skin conditions, but when overused for too long, they can cause a drop in the body’s natural immunity apart from disturbing the brain, making it easy for the body to catch almost any infection. This can be life-threatening.

Well, Duke is fine now, and has learnt first-hand about the dangers of drug misuse, and he’ll tell you, “Don’t mess with steroids!”


A crazy friend of mine (crazy in a nice way…!), "Doc,  I’ve been having trouble sleeping; I was told that my blood pressure is now very high; I have frequent headaches and often I notice that my heart beats as if I’m scared or something. Please help! I’m only 32 years old!

My friend apparently was indeed on the verge of developing a stroke, which, by the way is becoming a more frequent  occurence mong young executives these days. His social  history showed that he was a heavy smoker and had recently been abusing over-the-counter acetiminophen and an aspirin-caffeine combination regularly. He had even added kola nuts to the mix! All those drugs contain ingredients which have the ability to speed up the heart rate and raise blood pressure when taking indiscriminately or over long periods. The problem was solved with a simple change of lifestyle and habits.

There's a senior medical colleague of mine who has permanently chocolate-coloured teeth! It was caused by the drug his mom took just before he was born. Guess: Tetracycline! That's why it's rarely prescribed these days..There are alternatives, but not without their own side-effects.

It is clear now that:

-Some miscarriages in pregnancy are as a result of careless drug use;

-Many of the Stroke cases in the country now are ascribed to alcohol and drug misuse;

-Some cancers have been associated with indiscriminate use of antibiotics;

-Many mentally retarded kids are victims of parental drug misuse during pregnancy, Usually alcohol. (alcohol  is the  leading known cause of mental retardation in newborns in the United States -FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME)

We could go on and on…

The Moral

Drugs can heal you; drugs can also ill you. Worse, drugs can kill you.

So, the next time you’re about to take any drug, please ask yourself: “Why am I taking this? What are the possible side effects?” Also, Don't forget to ask your Doctor about every important detail of a prescribed medication.

By Dr. Lanre Okikiolu, ( Resident Doctor , Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria)
Edited by Dr. Kayode Kuku
For Medic-ALL.Inc 2015