My husband didn't know Lemsip has paracetamol in it..

[bbcessex]

HUGE HUGE apologies to a reasonably recent OP who posted about paracetamol .

I did not think there was anyone out there who didn't know about the risks of taking too much / medicines that contained paracetamol but seems I should have looked closer to home.

I think there are more people that don't know that than those that do know

I knew though

Yes, but people have to take personal responsibility. It clearly states on the packet that it contains paracetamol.

Lemsip is such a waste of time! A better version is two actual paracetamol with a berroca tablet with hot water and just a dash of squash to strengthen the taste...much better for you than a lemsip.

With my zapain I can't have lemonsip.

Yes, personal responsibility is very important. That's why it drives me nuts when people don't know what actual active ingredient is in their medications, make sure they're keeping to the dosage instructions, etc.

But with Lemsip, lots of people don't even know there's any drug in there to take responsibility over. "I've got a cold, mum always used to give me Lemsip when I had a cold, I feel like I want to be looked after and have a nice warm comforting drink, I'll buy Lemsip." Do you scrutinise every packet you buy in a supermarket?

Yes, people should probably check, because it comes from the medicine aisle in the supermarket. But people are fallible and it's reasonable to take moderate precautions to protect people.

At the very least they could have a two-part sachet; flavouring in one half, drug in the other, with PARACETAMOL written on it, just to make it more obvious what you're taking. Except whoever it is who makes Lemsip probably don't want to do that, cause we'd all just have a nice cup of cheap hot lemon and a 2p paracetamol tablet

Iced, it says right across the front of the bloody packet that it contains paracetamol. You don't even have to read the whole packet, it's plastered in bold across the front of the box.

Paracetamol is metabolised by the liver. That's why it's insidious, the liver is a sneaky fucker and won't say it's ill until it's too late.
Paracetamol is a preferred painkiller for people with kidney disease. (But I'm not a dr and this is not medical advice).

Anyway, OP, I don't know whether you're being unreasonable or not! My ex would refuse to eat apple skin because of the toxins but wouldn't read the label of drugs. So your DH doesn't surprise me. Whether it's his fault or Lemsip's...

I do know the suicide rate dropped when the sale of OTC paracetamol was restricted however I do enjoy my trips to America where I can buy 500 in a bottle.

How many people know that they should be very wary of eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice when they are taking medication? The list of affected medication is huge and diverse.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions#Affected_drugs

You are right cockacid re personal responsibility - my only question though is, is it behind the counter in the chemist? Not sure if it is and I have definitely bought it off the shelf in supermarkets which might explain why people assume it is 'safe'.

Taking the odd double dose won't do any damage. A while ago I took a double dose of paracetamol (I had assumed they were standard but we're actually 1g tablets). I felt fine afterwards and it did completely eradicate the headache.

A lot if drugs are not behind the counter in a pharmacist, though.

I completely agree about taking responsibility but I also thought that everyone knew.. my husband is a v v intelligent and usually switched on guy.. I am 😨😨😨 that he didn't know..

If it's so simple and easy, why do so many people (otherwise, responsible, sensible people) not realise?

Because they've been using it for years and they don't even think about it.

I think it's a slightly flawed and unsafe delivery method. Really.

My dh didn't know this either - until the day he came home and told me how many paracetamol and how many cold and flu sachets he had had over the previous 28 hours - and I freaked out at him.

He had taken not far short of a dangerous, or lethal dose, and I insisted we rang NHS24 for advice.

Luckily, because the amount he'd taken had been spread out over more than 24 hours, he was OK - but I made damn sure he knows he should ALWAYS read the damn label if he is taking medicine!

People think paracetamol is innocuous, because you can buy it for pennies, of the shelf in Tesco, but it is a really nasty way to overdose. I nursed a young man who overdosed on paracetamol and he was really poorly. He did survive, but iirc, he was left with permanent kidney damage and liver damage. Nasty.

When I first met DH he'd wash down night nurse with a lemsip and a couple of paracetamol. I told him of the dangers when I first saw him doing it. He's not done it since.

icedvanilla cross post. . After today I'm inclined to agree

It's actually stocked with other drugs in supermarkets and pharmacies. As PP said, it's got 'contains paracetamol' in large letters on it.

Ds didn't know. I visited him as he was talking paracetamol alongside a lemsip. He had already taken the max dose for the day and it was barely lunchtime.

What else can the makers do if people won't read the bloody box that they bought from the drugs isle?

Look at the box!

Cockacid.. I know. . You're right.. just don't know why he has never paid attention to it..

But it's on the shelf with all the other MEDICINE and has "Paracetamol" across the front of the box! I really do wonder how you can think it's just a hot drink - it's not like it's stocked next to tea bags!

Cock, the evidence is that despite what people should do, plenty of normal sensible intelligent people are unknowingly taking dangerous quantities of paracetamol because of the format of this medication. What do you suggest doing about it? Because writing it on the packet doesn't seem to be enough. Do you think that buying a hot drink mix and not reading the packet means you deserve to overdose? I'm normally very scathing of people who waft around with medications, not paying attention to what they take, not thinking about interactions with their prescription drugs, not knowing the active ingredients in their branded drugs, taking fucking sugar pills, etc., but with this I have a feeling that it's different.

How is it different? How w could it be any more obvious? People really have to be able to take responsibility for themselves and their own health here.

Yes, it does say paracetamol. It also says Lemsip in big colourful letters. For all the reasons I've explained, people are damaging their livers. Would you really be against, for example, the twin sachet suggestion I made, if it will help avoid so many people making the mistake?

Because it's neither a sensible or very intelligent thing to do not to read medicine packets