One of the most worrisome things about taking painkillers is the fact that you may overdose on OxyContin, Vicodin or other narcotic painkillers and become one of the statistics, not to mention the fact that you may end up with a painkiller addiction. Latest statistics are telling us that drug abuse or prescription-drug abuse deaths are surpassing deaths from automobiles. You don’t want to become one of them or have permanent health problems because you overdosed and then survived with lifetime injuries or health problems to face, on top of everything else.

Certainly, no one wants to die from an overdose of painkillers. So how can you protect yourself? One of the little known facts about drug overdose is that the overdose from painkillers is usually not from the main chemical it contains but from the acetaminophen (Tylenol for example is one brand name) that is added to it. Additionally the person taking the painkiller may not be aware that it contains acetaminophen and take some more acetaminophen along with it or on the same day.

Autopsies of patients who have died from overdoses of painkillers have shown that it is acetaminophen that has caused the death.

So how can you protect yourself? First, of course you want to stop taking painkillers if at all possible. Or start taking less to begin with. If you are taking them for a chronic pain condition, try to find other methods that will work, preferably without drugs or narcotics. If you think you are physically dependent on painkillers or already addicted to them then seek help as soon as possible.

The effects on your body from the painkillers can be life threatening and with the addition of acetaminophen your body can only tolerate so much. You can get off painkillers. You can change the way you handle pain or handle the stresses of life.

Thousands of people who suffered from a painkiller addiction or were taking them for chronic pain and were not addicted but were physically dependent, have gotten off them and returned to normal living - and sometimes through alternative methods without taking any drugs at all and with no supplements either. There are many ways to stop or control pain whether it’s acute or chronic. Seek those out to take care of any pain or addiction issues and you’ll never have to worry about an overdose of painkillers, the damage it can cause to your health, or death.