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Painkillers have all but become a part of a daily routine for a large number of people across the world. As a result, people, even unknowingly, mix pain meds with other drugs, like blood thinners, antidepressants, stimulants, and others. Drug interactions are usually not affected by the drug formulation – for example, liquid pain medications will likely have the same interactions as those formulated as pills or powder. As nowadays, customers can buy pain medication online, it becomes increasingly easier to get a hold of these drugs and to combine them with other medicines. Some individuals even mix these drugs with weed, cocaine and other substances to get stronger “high” effects. Numerous dangerous consequences, like pain medication side effects, can appear, especially after mixing painkillers and other drugs. The interaction of painkillers and other substances can sometimes have a beneficial effect. For example, aspirin which has an anticoagulant effect is sometimes combined with blood thinners to achieve the best effect. Although some painkillers (like aspirin) and blood thinners are sometimes used together, mixing them can lead to excessive bleeding and wounds that won’t heal. What kind of pain medication can one take with blood thinners? Doctors should recommend pain meds that won’t have dangerous interactions with blood thinners (e.g., won’t cause bleeding that doesn’t stop). Taking proton pump inhibitor and stomach-protective drugs might also help, as bleeding will usually occur in the stomach. Most anti-inflammatory painkillers shouldn’t be used with blood thinners. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory remedies, like ibuprofen and aspirin, will prevent the forming of blood clots. The combination of antidepressants and painkillers can cause serious internal stomach bleeding and other adverse reactions. The headache won’t go away with painkillers if mix them with antidepressants, as many people think. While antidepressants might relieve migraine and chronic tension headache, mixing them with pain meds can inhibit the beneficial effects of both substances. Stimulants And PainkillersInteractions With Amphetamine Containing DrugsStimulants (like amphetamine, MDMA, and methamphetamine) can produce serious side effects if used in combination with painkillers. Mixing amphetamine and its derivatives with opioid painkillers (such as oxycodone) is not recommended, as one Milwaukee Heart Institute study suggests. Taking Adderall and aspirin isn’t likely to produce conspicuous adverse reactions, but a medical specialist should be consulted before proceeding with use. Amphetamine abuse tends to co-occur with opioid drug use, which increases the risk of codependency. Physical signs of addiction to painkillers and amphetamines are conspicuous and include various withdrawal symptoms like:
Adderall and painkillers can be used safely when this stimulant is used in combination with ibuprofen. On the other hand, mixing Adderall with antidepressants should be avoided, as hallucinations and seizures may appear. Can one take pain meds with Vyvanse? Yes, but not all pain meds should be used with Vyvanse. Usually, ibuprofen is recommended to use with Vyvanse, but it’s advised to consult a doctor to find the right medication. Cocaine And PainkillersA combination of cocaine and painkillers, especially opioids, is an extremely dangerous one. Respiratory failure, palpitations, arrhythmia, and other cardiovascular symptoms are just some of the outcomes of mixing cocaine with pain meds. What are the dangers of getting high off painkillers and cocaine? Cocaine, as an extremely potent substance, might cause adverse reactions even when used with low doses of painkillers. Antibiotics And PainkillersCan one take painkillers with antibiotics? As antibiotics treat infections and not pain, mixing these drugs is the usual practice. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is safe to use with most antibiotics, except rifampicin, which is a powerful antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis. The interaction between paracetamol and rifampicin may cause serious liver damage. However, taking antibiotics and painkillers together should also be managed by the medical specialist only.
Pain Medications And Heart MedicationWhat painkillers can one take with heart medication? The answer depends on the type of heart condition one suffers from. As NSAIDs like ibuprofen and Naproxen increase the blood pressure, people taking medicine for hypertension should avoid taking these painkillers. Instead, acetaminophen-based drugs can be taken. Antidepressants, which are sometimes used as meds for nerve pain, can annulate the effect of various drugs for heart conditions. For example, mixing some SNRIs (serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors), like venlafaxine with hypertension medicine will lead to high blood pressure. Similarly, MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), known to cause irregular heartbeat shouldn’t be used in combination with medicine for arrhythmia. Sleeping Pills With PainkillersMixing sleeping pills with painkillers may lead to death, especially if stronger prescription pain meds (opioids) are used in combination with sleeping pills. This is the case when benzodiazepines are used for treating insomnia and other sleep disorders. Taking melatonin sleeping pills may solve this problem, but mixing them with opioids will result in excessive sleepiness. Melatonin may slow down the liver functioning which in turn might slow down the breaking up of acetaminophen, clopidogrel, and diazepam. This means that these painkillers will stay in the system for a longer time and will result in stronger effects (and side effects). Sleeping pills and various OTC drugs (like ibuprofen and aspirin) aren’t known to cause serious health risks. Painkillers and WeedMarijuana and painkillers shouldn’t be used together. Marijuana is a drug, the exact effects of which are relatively unknown, which means that even adverse reactions are unpredictable. Weed and painkillers (more specifically, benzodiazepines) can have a particularly dangerous interaction, which may result in an overdose. Marijuana and painkillers like aspirin can be used together in some states of the U.S. where this drug is approved for medical use, as marijuana has anti-inflammatory properties. This is only suitable for specific health conditions, and under the close supervision of a doctor. Caffeine And PainkillersMixing caffeine and painkillers like ibuprofen might increase the analgesic effect of ibuprofen. Painkillers and coffee often come together, as ibuprofen and paracetamol contain certain levels of caffeine to boost the effectiveness of these medicines. Avoid Dangerous Interactions With PainkillersMixing different types of medications without consulting the doctor should be avoided at all costs. Even when over-the-counter painkillers are consumed, the doctor should assess the potential dangers of mixing different substances. People often experience side effects of combining painkillers with other substances because they often prefer self-medication and ask the treatment advice via the internet. How to ask for pain medication, and avoid adverse reactions to painkiller combinations? A medical professional must be provided with all the important information about the patient’s health condition, and especially about the painkillers that are used. Only in this case, a doctor can correctly assess which combination of drugs will carry the least amount of risk. A certain combination of pain meds may be completely harmless for some people while being potentially life-threatening for others. The doctor might demand pain medication contracts to be signed by the patient when controlled painkillers are prescribed, and its correct implementation will help to avoid negative effects. The combination of pain meds and various other substances is often seen in multiple types of addictions. Fortunately, there are many addiction treatment options available for different kinds of abuses caused by mixing painkillers with other substances. People with substance abuse problems can find help in numerous rehabilitation centers all over the United States, which is an efficient way to battle an addiction. Page Sources
Published on: September 25th, 2019 Updated on: November 26th, 2021 Dr. Roger Weiss is a practicing mental health specialist at the hospital. Dr. Weiss combines his clinical practice and medical writing career since 2009. Apart from these activities, Dr. Weiss also delivers lectures for youth, former addicts, and everyone interested in topics such as substance abuse and treatment. |