Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to take 10 paracetamol in 24 hours?

69 replies

GetTheGoodLookingGuy · 01/05/2017 21:24

Bad period pain. Took 2 this morning at 3am, 2 at 9:15, 2 at 13:30, 2 at 17:45. WIBU to take 2 more at about 22:30, just before I go to bed. I can't take ibroprofen or anything like that as 1) I don't have any and 2) I can't swallow tablets, and can therefore only have one brand of paracetamol, crushed up (anything other than this one brand tastes so bad I nearly throw up) on a biscuit, or disolvable tablets/calpol.

OP posts:
Bettyspants · 01/05/2017 22:06

Phoenix yes there are stronger drugs but unfortunately paracetamol is often much more dangerous than the next level of pain relief i.e. Codeine . People get complacent with paracetamol as it can be purchased off the shelf and unfortunately it can and does lead to problems. Liver damage from paracetamol is often not noticed by the patient until days or a week later at which it becomes much harder to manage in hospital. I imagine 111 will advise hot water bottle etc until tomorrow as op does not take ibuprofen which I'm assuming rules out all the NSAIDs for her.

phoenixtherabbit · 01/05/2017 22:08

After reading this I definitely won't! Blush

What makes it worse is I already have a slightly damaged liver due to quite a serious bout of glandular fever when I was younger!

Bettyspants · 01/05/2017 22:08

Apologies I misread, op as mentioned before you can get children's ibuprofen and take an adult dose just measure it out.

Original poster
GetTheGoodLookingGuy · 01/05/2017 22:08

I won't do it then sigh because it hurts Tomorrow will be fine as I'll make sure to "save" the 4th dose til about 10pm - probably 7:30, 12:30, 5:30, 10 ish. Interestingly, if I hadn't had the 3 am lot, I'd think nothing of having some at 7:30 tomorrow, less than 24 hours after the 9 am today - so more than 8 in 24 hours. I guess technically I shouldn't do that either.

And it'll be completely fine by Wednesday - hardly any pain and almost no bleeding either, because that's just how it is. Done and dusted by Saturday. It's just these first too days.

The sensible thing to do would've been to have paracetamol when I started, at 11pm last night, but I'd just cleaned my teeth and foolishly thought I'd be okay - I was until I woke up at 3am in agony.

OP posts:
Unicorndreamer · 01/05/2017 22:09

I'd do it . It won't cause any damage as a one off. Also try ibuprofen before taking para

Bettyspants · 01/05/2017 22:10

Eek Phoenix must have been a nasty bout you had! Yup stick to the dose , there for a reason not to be annoying! Ibuprofen can be taken in higher dosages but on medical guidance Smile

RosesShouldBeInTins · 01/05/2017 22:10

For next time, I can't recommend Neurofen Meltlets enough! I can't swallow tablets either and Meltlets are my best friend!

Patchouli666 · 01/05/2017 22:11

You need to ask your doctor for pain relief in suppository form. It works very well but isn't offered often

Bettyspants · 01/05/2017 22:11

Hope it eases op 🙁

MaidOfStars · 01/05/2017 22:12

You can buy melty ibuprofen tabs that fizz away on your tongue and taste a bit like lemon.

Take those alternating with paracetamol.

Elphaba99 · 01/05/2017 22:13

It can cause damage, even as a one off. Please don't, OP. I sympathise hugely re the pain but as almost everyone has said, paracetamol can be v dangerous.

Apols if I've missed it, but can your GP not prescribe something stronger for the first few days?

MaidOfStars · 01/05/2017 22:13

Nurofen Meltlets
That's the ones!

Instasista · 01/05/2017 22:14

Does anyone really know someone who has died from taking 2 paracetamol over the 24 limit? Really? Confused

treaclesoda · 01/05/2017 22:19

Insta sort of. The person I know took died suddenly and it was unexplained. Autopsy was done and discovered cause of death was paracetamol poisoning. It wasn't exactly taking 10 in 24 hours, it was mixing two different drugs eg co-codamol and then paracetamol a few hours later. But it was a one off dose, the overdose wasn't all that big, and it was fatal.

phoenixtherabbit · 01/05/2017 22:19

bettys it was I was off work for months! Was undiagnosed for ages had so many bloods taken, though it was hepatitis for a while, had liver function tests, scans etc then they told me it was glandular fever and just to rest! I've never felt more awful in my life and to top it off a few months later as I was getting better I managed to have get chicken pox and then have a massive allergic reaction to them.

That was a good few months!

Bunnyfuller · 01/05/2017 22:20

I feel you pain op. Not as bad these days but used to be horrific and if I was a teeny bit late taking painkillers I would be in for a rough time. I'm afraid I did often exceed the recommended dose, mad with pain and desperate for it to stop. Nothisterone helped for a while, and something else too, can't remember. Hot water bottle definitely. You poor thing, it's bloody rotten. I used to faint, puke and writhe in agony for the first 3 days every month. Eventually got diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis at age 48 :-/. GL, hope it settles down Flowers

AntigoneJones · 01/05/2017 22:22

no you mustn't do that.
Anyway paracetamol doesn't work for period pains, a midwife told me that a long time ago.

Flimbo · 01/05/2017 22:23

Don't do it OP, be careful

AntigoneJones · 01/05/2017 22:23

if you get 'Feminax' for example , you will find it contains ibuprofen.

Louisianna16 · 01/05/2017 22:24

Why is paracetamol so easily available from pretty much any supermarket/shop/chemist etc , when it is such a potentially dangerous drug? Surely it should be at least an OTC chemist only thing?

C0RAL · 01/05/2017 22:24

Please don't do this. Always be very careful of paracetamol.

I know of someone who accidentally overdosed when she had the flu. She had organ failure and an amputation and very nearly died. She's now permanently disabled.

Please don't take any risks, it's not worth it.

For next month, get in some liquid ibuprofen and ask your pharmacist or GP for some advice on how to manage your period pains.

WineAndTiramisu · 01/05/2017 22:24

It's very unlikely that a small overdose caused someone to die of paracetamol poisoning. Unless someone takes above 150mg/kg (so 12g or 24 tablets in an 80kg person) we don't get particularly worried, we do blood tests if its above 75mg/kg just in case.

The main problem is people who weigh less than 50kg, as the normal dose, taken over long periods can be an overdose. Also taking full dose of paracetamol along with full dose of co-codamol, as they both contain paracetamol.

JustMystified · 01/05/2017 22:26

It's not worth the risk. It can pickle your liver so easily, people don't realise you really don't need many to successfully cause permanent damage and even death.

WineAndTiramisu · 01/05/2017 22:26

Also, try paediatric ibuprofen, or the melting ones if you struggle to swallow tablets

herethereandeverywhere · 01/05/2017 22:27

I suffer terribly with period pain and keep stashes of ibuprofen all over the place for just this reason. Paracetamol is rubbish and has no noticeable effect on the pain so don't overdose for the sake of it.

I take my first ibuprofen ti the first niggle of a pain and take regularly until the end of my period - for bad months/days it doesn't kill the pain altogether but it takes the edge off and stops me fainting/vomiting/doing something stupid because I can't think straight. Follow the advice for kids medicine or meltlets and stash them around.

For now: if you can't get anyone to visit a 24 hour/emergency pharmacy or bring their own kids medicine around, I would try to sleep by using a hot water bottle (to be honest I'd have a couple of alcoholic drinks if I could stomach it to take the edge off to sleep but that's probably unwise advice!) and try to breathe slowly, calmly with longer out breaths. I'm terrible for holding my breath and it makes the cramping worse.