over the counter medication addiction?

[ann5245]

Is it possible to become addicted to over the counter medications?  My 75 year old mother recently moved to my town so that I could help her financially, etc.  I have become very concerned about the amount of excederine, prilosec, nasal spray, aleve, and other antacid medicines that she takes.  She has a history of bleeding ulcers, she smokes about 2 packs of cigarettes a week, high blood pressure, and other ailments of old age.  I didn't realize that she was taking so much of this medicine.  Especially the excedrine and prilosec.  I have not been able to accurately assess how much excedrine she takes because I think she buys it on the sly.  I wouldn't be surprised if it is 10 to 20 a day.  The prilosec is worse.  She has a 30 day prescription, plus will buy an additional 56 otc pills or more per month, plus various antacids.  I know that she is taking too much and when I question her she gets very angry and defensive.   Getting back to the original question, when she is out of these medications she is in a panic and flips out.  I moved her out of my house because of these monthly rages when she runs out and I cannot afford to purchase these medications and I am uncomfortable with it because it is too much.  I don't know what I am dealing with: addiction or a real medical need. Any advice would be appreciated.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

A for real medical need would be as prescribed. It would not be mega doses of any pill...  you are correct to be concerned.

[realqt]

A related discussion, otc antihistamine addiction was started.

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

I wouldn't classify her use as 'addiction', as the drugs do not have true addictive properties (except for the cigarettes, of course).  There are 'discontinuation symptoms' from many of those medications;  excedrin contains caffeine, and stopping it will cause significant headaches from caffeine withdrawal;  stopping nasal spray will cause a few days of intense nasal congestion, etc.  I would consider the the situation to represent an anxiety disorder;  perhaps OCD or perhaps behavior related to an 'organic' disorder such as early dementia.  She needs help-- a psychiatry appointment would the place to start, if you can get her to go to one.  The second idea would be to talk to her regular medical doctor and see if he/she can intervene in some way.