Doctor Nina Byrnes warns against over-reliance on over-the-counter pain mediaction

Wed, 22 March 2017

Doctor in the House expert Nina Byrnes has warned about the danger of frequent overuse of pain medication by Irish people.

Appearing on Ireland AM the GP said that overusing painkillers - particularly those containing codeine - was 'rife' in the country, but can actually have the opposite affect when it comes to treating pain. 

She explained: "The majority of people take [painkillers] because they think it will relief headaches or chronic pain, but overuse can lead to rebound pain." 

Nina was speaking ahead of tonight's episode of Doctor in the House, which follows the Reilly family from Dublin, with dad Philip, 53, swallowing 60 paracetamol and 24 codeine pills a week.

As well as Phil, we'll meet his wife Naomi, and their girls Natasha (18) and Tammy Jo (13), and Natasha's 18-month-old son Tyler, who has cystic fibrosi. The three generations of the family all live under the same roof in Ballymun.