The New Straits Times, January 1, 1996
Q: Are prescription drugs dangerous:
A: Some of the abused drugs in the country today are ones that are perfectly legal and supplied by your friendly neighbourhood doctors and pharmacist.
These drugs relieve suffering and rout disease. But when prescribed irritionally, or when patients misuse them either deliberately or through misunderstanding, they can be deadly,
Drugs of most concern are the ones used successfully in psychiatry - known as psychoactive drugs because they work directly in, and in, the brain to change the way it works.
The potential for abuse of psychoactive drugs is generally much higher than it is for other types of drugs. This class of drugs circulate to the brain where they produce changes in the 'system that governs the way we think and feel.
Medications can save lives, but they can also pose a serious risk of abuse. Some have a greater addiction potential than others, but many of them, taken in high enough doses for long enough periods, produce tolerance, leading to dependency.
Diazepam (Valium) and Alprazolam (Xanax) are such examples. These drugs are, and will remain, valuable weapons in the fight against psychiatric illness. But they are nonetheless dangerous and powerful chemical, and must be handled with extreme care.
As consumers, Malaysians should ask for more information about their prescription drugs from their doctors, and seek a second opinion if they think taking a powerful and dangerous drug is not the right things to do.
