Can Over-the-Counter Pain Medications Influence Our Thoughts and Emotions?

While we may assume that over-the counter pain killers simply alleviate pain, research has shown that even seemingly harmless drugs like Tylenol can actually have an impact on an individual’s emotions as well. For years there have been studies done on the effect that over-the-counter drugs can have on social pain, but the real question is how should we as a society address the social and emotional implications that can arise from over-the-counter drugs? Ratner and associates found that certain over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen influence the takers sensitivity to the “pain” we may feel during social experiences that help us avoid bad social interactions.

These drugs can negatively influence empathic thought and ultimately influence the way we view the world around us because of the desensitized emotional understanding of our social situation. This becomes a serious problem; a drug that is meant to alleviate physical pain can cause serious psychological effects!

Researchers proposed that with these new findings drug companies should be obligated to include this on their warning labels. The psychological risks of over-the-counter drugs could have serious long-term effects on pregnant women and their developing child, however more research should be done to confirm or deny this possibility. With that being said, as a society we should be cautious when consuming over-the-counter drugs and continue to push for drug companies to include psychological risks of pain medication to ensure all consumers can be educated on the risks they are exposing themselves to.

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Source:

• http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2372732217748965