Q: I am a 31-year-old housewife and prone to painkillers. For any pain, I take a pain killer, with an antacid like Saridon, Decolic, Spasmindon and Spasmo proxyvon. This habit has increased, but I have reduced to an average of 2 times a day. Now every morning, I have a pain in my stomach, so I got into the habit of taking a Spasmo proxyvon with Acilog RD a day. Now I am unable to leave this habit. If don't take the medicine, I don't get clear bowels and have stomach ache the whole day. This has been continuing for the last 5-6 years. I underwent surgery for a tumour in the ovary last year. What are the side effects of this? Will it affect my pregnancy in future? How can I get rid of this habit? What damage might have happened due to this? What is the substitute for this? Can the kidney or the liver be affected?

A:Spasmoproxyvon is the brand name of a combination product that contains three medicines: dextropropoxyphene, paracetamol and dicyclomine. Dextropropoxyphene is an opioid (opium-like) agent and causes addiction, dependence and side effects (such liver damage). Curiously one of the side effects of taking dextropropoxyphene is abdominal pain. It also causes constipation. It is apparent that you have got addicted to this agent. You should gradually withdraw the drug. There is no substitute. Dextropropoxyphene crosses the placenta and reaches the fetus. Hence you must not take this drug if you start expecting. You need to watch your weight also: 80 kg for 5' 3'' height is certainly obese.