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Sleep News Blog

Prescription Sleep Medicine

Guidelines on How to Prevent Myself From a Drug Overdose

Posted by sleepyguy in Prescription Sleep Medicine, Sleep Disorder on April 16th, 2009

Handsome, talented actor Heath Ledger passed away recently due to drug overdose at the young age of 28. Known for his Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain, this young actor died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs that included painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication.

This shows us that drug overdose should not be taken lightly; at times, with or without realizing, we can easily overdose on drugs and the consequences are indeed fatal.

There are numerous ways to prevent yourself from suffering such fatal corollaries. These simple guidelines should be able to help you.

Always read the labels. Make sure you take your right medication and not something else. Many pills look similar so don’t depend on the looks of the medication, read the label.

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Follow instructions. If the medication requires you to consume after eating and in small amounts, don’t overdo it just because you think it may be more effective.

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Expiry dates. Always check your medication for expiry dates and dispose of them. Besides that, dispose of the ones that are unidentified as well.

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Do not share. If there is no medical supervision, do not take other people’s medication. This is because each person’s body is different and may react differently.

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Use a journal. As older people tend to suffer from memory lapses, they might overdose on their medications. Hence, it would be wise to jot down the name and dosage each time medication is taken.

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Buy separators. Many pharmacies and healthcare stores have containers that separate medication for each day. These would help you take the appropriate amount and not overdose.

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Keep all medications locked away.

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Avoid using medications in the same day as alcohol.

These are merely simple steps you need to be cautious about so as to prevent you from overdosing on drugs. So be careful and take medications seriously as it is not something to just wave off. A onetime fall could have major effects.