By Damilola Alamu
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Kwara Chapter, has decried the prevalent abuse of blood tonic by youths in recent time.
The state Chairman of PSN, Mr Aliu Bakau, in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State, at the weekend, said overdose of the drug could lead to iron poisoning.
The expert noted that blood tonic has alcohol content, hence the abuse by youths, observing that young people have gone “haywire” in experimenting with any drug that can intoxicate them.
“This is the latest trend by the youths; they have the urge to be on intoxicant and they are now abusing blood tonic drugs such as Orheptal because of the little alcohol content in the drug, ” he said.
He noted that they are exploiting the percentage of alcohol in the blood tonic just as they did with Codeine.
According to him, PSN has alerted members to be wary when they see unusual purchase and use of the blood tonic, especially when bought in cartons by the youths.
Bakau called on members to stick to professional ethics and alert the necessary agency, if they discover any unusual misuse of the drugs by buyers.
The PSN Chairman warned that overdose of any drug can have adverse effect on the body of the individual, especially on the kidney.
Also speaking with newsmen Health Coordinator, of Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN), Dr Misbau Lawal, warned that taking high dose of blood tonic is dangerous.
He explained that blood tonic contains height amount of iron as active ingredient, adding that repeated use in high dose can result in perforation of the Gastro intestinal tracts, leading to haemorrhage.
According to him, over dosage of iron can also lead to mass blood loss, which can precipitate gradual anemia and at a critical stage leading to death.
The BRISIN Health Coordinator appealed to stakeholders on the importance of creating awareness on drug abuse.
“Pharmacists should also interview buyers demanding for the drugs before selling them, ” he said.
