The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Kwara State Chapter, on Thursday in Ilorin warned against the use of blood tonic as intoxicant.

Mr Aliu Bakau, the Chairman of PSN who gave the the warnings during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said overdose of blood tonic can lead to iron poisoning.

He observed that the youths have gone “haywire” in experimenting with any drug that can intoxicate them.

“This is the latest trend by the youths. They have the urge to be on intoxicant and they are now abusing blood tonic drugs such as Orheptal because of the little alcohol content in the drug, ” he said.

He noted that the youths are exploiting the percentage of alcohol in blood tonic just as they did with Codeine.

According to him, PSN have alerted members to be wary when they see unusual purchase and use of blood tonic, especially when bought in cartons by the youths.

Bakau also called on PSN members to stick to professional ethics and alert the necessary agencies when they discover unusual misuse of the drugs by buyers.

The PSN Chairman warns that overdose of any drug can have adverse effect on the body of the individual, especially on the kidney.

Also speaking with NAN, Dr Misbau Lawal, Health Coordinator, Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN), warns that taking exceedingly high dose of blood tonic is dangerous.

He explained that blood tonic contains high strength of Iron as active ingredient, adding that repeated use in high dose can result in perforation of the Gastro intestinal tracts, leading to haemorrhage.

According to him, over dosage of iron can also lead to mass blood loss, which can precipitate gradual anemia and at a critical stage lead to death.

The BRISIN Health Coordinator appealed to stakeholders on the importance of creating awareness on drug abuse.

“Pharmacists should also interview buyers demanding for the drugs before selling them, ” he said. (NAN)