Paracetamol or acetaminophen, is one of the most common pain relievers in the world and can very safely be used to treat minor aches and pains and fevers in the short term.
However, over the past few decades, unintended overdoses of paracetamol have increased in many countries, and some scientists believe it is all about the doses available.
Even when doctors prescribe it, a new study from Switzerland indicates that a higher dose of paracetamol makes it easier for people to accidentally poison themselves, and although this does not often lead to death, it can cause severe liver damage. Paracetamol overdoses has been detected, with most of these cases being linked to the 1,000-mg tablet instead it should be 500-mg tablet on the safe side.
"One of the problems with paracetamol is that it is ineffective for all patients or against all forms of pain," explains Andrea Borden, an epidemiologist at ETH Zurich. "If the drug does not help in relieving someone's symptoms, they may be tempted to increase the dose without consulting a specialist. This is it." The real problem. "
Many people are not aware that every tablet of paracetamol that you swallow, accumulates in the body. This means that taking a few extra 1000 mg tablets can put you at risk of an overdose, which easily exceeds the 4000 mg daily recommended for adults.
This is worrisome given the limited effectiveness of paracetamol for acute pain and especially for chronic pain. And if people expect these drugs to work when they aren't, they may take another pill too soon, putting them at risk of an overdose.
"We realize that managing pain is a challenge, and that other medications can have severe adverse effects," Borden says. "However, if paracetamol does not have the desired effect, it is important not to take more pills. Instead, people should seek professional medical advice." In order to find the best treatment option. "
Fortunately, 90% of the people in the study who took an overdose of paracetamol received the antidote within 8-10 hours, which reduced the risk of liver damage and death.
However, most of these situations could have been avoided altogether. If paracetamol isn't a good fit for chronic pain, Borden says, the package sizes have to account for it. It should not contain 40 tablets or more.
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