Panicked about paracetomal overdose

[shouldnthavesaid]

I'm confused...

I take cocodamol 30/500 for pain management.

Wed night I took a dose about bedtime (before 10) , and potentially around about lunchtime, can't remember.

Yesterday (bad day) I took 1 tablet at 2pm, 2 at 6 and 2 at 10.15pm . I don't think I took any tablets in the morning. Doesn't seem likely as I was sore in class.

This morning I've taken 1 at 5am as still sore but need to be able to function.

I'm petrified that I've overdosed somehow over the last couple of days. Just off the phone to NHS 24 who said I've nothing to worry about but maybe they aren't quite understanding what I meant?

They said if I had OD'd accidentally its in all likelihood ever so slightly and would be harmless - and just to take nothing from now until bed?

Should I try to vomit up the 5am tablet? Cant sleep as so worried.

If it helps I'm tall (5 ft 9), quite overweight (105 kg) and non alcohol drinker..

Listen to NHS 24. They know what they are talking about. They're also fairly notoriously over-cautious, so if they say you're fine, you really are.

They're right, you're fine.
Iv taken 4 of those in one dose before ( was ill and completely out of it) and Was fine.
I usually leave a 11/12 gap between them though, so if i have them at 10pm ill have them at 9/10 the next day. Though i have taken them earlier on worse days!

It might be worth downloading an app to help you take your medication. They sound an alarm when your meds are due and also allow you to record how many you have taken and at what time.
I used one on discharge after giving birth as I was on a concoction of tablets. It was very useful.
May help avoid any confusion in the future.

OP, you are fine. NHS 24 have confirmed that, after hearing your info.
Selma you are quite correct to post what you did.
Paracetamol overdoses are very serious.

You have my sympathies OP. I get forgetful with a migraine and I find writing down when I took my tablets at the time of taking them helpful. I’ve had OMG have I taken too much panics too, but writing it down only takes a few seconds and avoids this anxiety.

Right you can take 1000mg of Paracetamol in 24 hours you have not done that. Paracetamol is really dangerous though 14 500mg tablets in 24 hours could start shutting down your organs so please be careful but no in this instance you are fine.

I always write down when I take cocodamol so that I don’t take too many. That said I have taken a dose an hour earlier than I should have. I took 2every four hours say. 8 am, 12, 4 pm and 8pm. The next morning I took two at 7 am because I was in pain. The doc said this was fine

Try taking them every 6 hours and then you will be in the correct dosage. You can take them every 4 hours but then you can't take any more after that so you will have a period where you have to wait until you can take the next painkiller.

geekone you mean 4 grams in 24h.

All tablets that contain paracetamol contain 500 mg (or less). So - as long as you don't exceed 8 tablets in 24h - you have not exceeded the safe dose for most adults. As a pp said, watch out for cold and flu remedies that may contain paracetamol without you realising. People who are very low weight or who have liver problems may not be able to take even 8 tablets in 24h and should check with a pharmacist or GP before using paracetamol.

This thread is dangerous. MN should have a policy of taking down threads about medication doses.

OP I think you should listen to the advice the NHS 24 have given you rather than relying on unknown people on the internet, of which, although no doubt well meaning are probably not medically trained for the most part.

You havent overdosed OP so please try to stop worrying about it.

But this statement It's actually quite hard to kill yourself with paracetamol even if you're actively trying is so wrong its dangerous. Paracetamol is extremely toxic to the liver and if someone genuinely overdoses either on purpose or accidentally then they need to get their levels checked asap in case they need an antidote. Im a Psychiatric Nurse and have sadly seen people die after a paracetamol overdose, and this can be after they change their mind but its too late.

So you think I should leave misinformation that could easily kill someone unchallenged

OP has already checked with the NHS that her dose is safe and obviously suffers from health anxiety, so yes. I don't think anyone would read that post and just start taking paracetamol willy nilly.

I've calmed down a bit.

My normal worries are about my heart so its strange to suddenly be so concerned about liver failure sorry if thay sounds bad.

I will write it down in future. Generally during the day I try to only take 1 tablet at a time as get too sleepy otherwise. If I don't I end up doubled over screaming in pain. Been that way for 18 months :(

[hug] as i know how horrible this is and the feel the need to reassure you.

Just to say for the last 23 months every single day i have paracetamol 500mg x 2 at 7am. 11am. 3pm and 7pm.

The GP and chemist are well aware of what the timings are, my liver has no damage as its just a the minimum mark where can take next dose. Has to be at least 4-6 hours before can take another dose, so its minumum 4 hours

Its like this because my meds are dispensed to me by my carers and they are in a locked safe which i cant access due to a past suicide attempt.

With that strength of codeine and being aware that it makes you sleepy you are unlikely to ever take enough to overdose on the paracetamol component. As others have said, it is over 4g, or 8 tablets, in 24 hours, that we start to worry - but at your height and weight there is some leeway anyhow. (someone half your weight would be given the same recommended limits, but be more vulnerable if they accidentally went over it).

What I would say though, if this is a common worry for you, is to talk through with your GP whether this is the best combination for you at the moment. You could for example consider taking plain paracetamol 4 times a day and separate codeine. It is also possible that you are amongst the significant minority of the population that don't metabolise codeine terribly well, in which case small doses of other opiate medication may provide better pain relief for you. (I'm the opposite - similar size to you but 8-12 mg codeine would be enough to put me sound asleep)

Good luck getting on top of things.

Coming in late here and I hope you are OK.

Just a little word for people who may not know. If you think you may have OD's on codiene, have a glass of milk and a cereal bar or some toast; give your stomach a good lining.

It can make such a difference.

I’m guessing you have no experience of caring for people who have taken ODs, Kit . Misinformation and accidental ODs are rife. People often believe what they want to believe.

I doubt you’d be eye-rolling if you’d watched a few teenagers die slowly of paracetamol toxicity.

Sounds like NHS are right in saying you'll be fine. But you're right to be concerned about paracetamol- it can be dangerous. I would from now on keep a written log of what you take and when and every time you take a dose count through the last 24 hours to check you can have a dose. I do this for my children and me and my husband as it's so easy to overdose. Don't forget to include any lemsip or paracetamol in any other form.

Hello folks, we're just nipping in to give our usual reminder that, while MNers often give great advice and support, when it comes to health issues, there is no substitute to seeking advice from a medical professional. Mumsnet is not in a position to vouch for the professional credentials of any poster so we urge anyone with medical concerns to contact their GP or other health professional in the first instance.

Kitsharrington

I totally agree with Selmas post. You wouldn't be rolling your eyes if you had nursed someone who had overdosed on paracetamol in an attempt to kill themselves, left it too late to get medical help and died a slow painful death days later, scared because they had changed their mind about wanting to die.

OP you're fine. Hope you feel better soon.

Sorry folks, but Selma is absolutely right.

I take 8 tablets of that dosage daily as per my prescription. Please be reassured by the information NHS direct have given you.

I've accidentally overdosed on ibuprofen before and all that happened was I felt really really sick for hours and then threw up and felt much better.

OP I could tell before you replied that it’s the OCD talking. Do yourself a favour and let this go. X

When I was pregnant I took 2 cocodamol, forgot, took another 2 and my partner spoke up just after I swallowed them. Rang nhs direct, they rang toxline as I was 33 weeks pregnant. I was fine (though slept well that night!!!) and my baby is now nearly 5!