More Chennai residents becoming addicted to prescription drugs

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by Change | 3 Sep 2010

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Increasing numbers of people in Chennai are becoming addicted to prescription medications, an article has suggested.

drug addiction treatment centres in the Indian city of Chennai are reporting increases in the number of people becoming hooked on prescription drugs.

According to a report in The Times of India, the city's drug addiction facilities are taking in more people who have been using medications for minor medical complaints - only to carry on using them once their symptoms have been cured.

Cough syrups, sleeping pills, painkillers and aspirin are some of the legal drugs that people have become addicted to, a trend that has been partly blamed on a lack of advice from registered medical practitioners.

Dr Anitha Rao, the director of medical services at TTK Ranganathan Hospital's addiction centre, told the newspaper that she has seen "quite a few cases" of people becoming addicted to everyday medications.

"Popping an aspirin while having a headache is common, but doing it over a long time could make you an addict," she explained.

An article published in The Daily Rising Kashmir last month recommended that female drug addicts in India receive "guidance, counselling and motivation" as a means to combat their addiction.

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