To not realise just how dangerous paracetamol is?

[HarshingMyMellow]

My friend is currently in hospital after taking an accidental overdose of paracetamol.

I say 'accidental', she was taking more than she should because she had a killer toothache but not huge amounts.
I think she took around 8 doses in a day instead of 4 and the repercussions aren't pretty.

I didn't realise a basic, widely available drug was so toxic.

I remember seeing a recent TV program about Calpol being used when it was not necessary or effective. Cannot remember what it was called though.

Biologifemini - I totally agree with you.

@Biologifemini I only buy the generic brand of children's paracetamol for that reason.
It tastes bloody awful and DD doesn't want to take it, even if she's really poorly.

Friend is doing okay, they're still monitoring her but they seem to think it's her stomach causing the problems more than her kidneys/liver. I think she has been very very lucky.

In future I will only be buying ibuprofen!

I live in Sweden and you can’t buy calpol here - you can buy liquid paracetamol for kids. It’s in a plain pack and it tastes beyond vile. Suppositories are the main mode here (takes some getting over as a Brit...)

My daughter took 20 Codeine tablets and had no treatment at all other than observation overnight. They repeatedly came and asked us if we were sure she had not had any Paracetamol, which was when I realised how much more serious that is considered. I was so surprised that the Codeine did nothing other than make her very itchy for a short while and then a bit numb!

My Dm was once on max dose paracetamol for several years (due to undiagnosed fibromyalgia) and taking 4 x 2 tablets a day long term caused basically liver damage akin to an alcoholic.

I take ibuprofen quite regularly (never exceed the daily max though) and never condidered it might be doing damage to my kidneys. I’ve always felt ibuprofen was safer as the dr can prescribe much higher doses than the OTC dose, whereas paracetamol the max dose is always the same.

Really interesting and informative thread, thanks OP. Hope your friend makes a full recovery

Pharmacies won't give out codeine on its own (I think), presumably because of abuse risk. You can get it from your GP, if they trust you, and can go up to 60mg codeine a time, if needed, under medical supervision.

Believe it or not pollaidh you can still legally buy bottles of codeine linctus from several online UK pharmacies, very cheaply (usually about five quid or less per bottle). There is 600mg of codeine per bottle and zero paracetamol. It’s marketed as a cough syrup for dry non productive coughs (as opiates can suppress the cough reflex).

It’s referred to as ‘lean’ in the US and popular in some subcultures as a drink to sip when mixed with lemonade, popularised by some rappers.

I’m astonished that it’s still completely legal to buy. It’s legal to purchase from a bricks and mortar chemist too, but the large chains don’t stock or sell it and usually for individual chemists they don’t stock it but will sometimes order it in for a customer.

It’s quite incredible you can buy 1200mg of codeine for around a tenner, given that the max dose you can buy OTC in tablets is 12.5mg codeine along with 500mg paracetamol in Solpadeine Max. Usually the inclusion of paracetamol dissuades people from abusing it (unless they do a cold water extraction) so the fact it’s pure unadulterated codeine means people could easily take too much and end up overdosing fatally.

@WalkingOnAFlashlightBeam that is terrible! I once brought an over the counter pack of ibuprofen and codeine and the lady selling it to me asked for my ID(?) then went through so many safety points.
I doubt she'd of sold me anymore, even if I had asked.

The fact you can buy it online in such a high dosage/volume is shocking.

Having had morphine a couple of times I can only dream of having some spare stuff lying around my house grin

Sadly I take 80mg morphine per day, every single day. Without it I wouldn’t be here. It’s absolutely essential for me to be able to live my life. Luckily after a few weeks once you grow tolerance/dependence the ‘high’ side effect so many first time users experience goes away and it just works like any other painkiller if that makes sense! Like if it’s your first time taking it you will undoubtedly feel it’s incredibly strong not only for pain relief but also psychologically will cause a fair bit of disassociation and drowsiness/High feeling. People then don’t realise that for those of us who have no choice but to take it daily, that doesn’t happen anymore and you can live a totally normal life on it. I work, live, socialise, drive, all while with morphine in my system, perfectly safely and legally. Things I wouldn’t be able to do without it.

There’s a lot of misinformation on this thread about opiates, opinions that seem to be lifted straight from the US and Medicare’s attempt to tackle opiate misuse and overdose and addiction by preventing doctors from prescribing it to patients with a legitimate health need for it (instead of reducing inappropriate prescribing and funding more treatment services for people seeking it illegally and developing an addiction).

Opiates are considered an extremely valuable and necessary class of drug by the world health organisation. Please, to all, do not unquestioningly accept and repeat the misinformation that currently dominates the discussion around opiate use here and across the pond. It is a literal life saver for so, so many people.

Yes harshing, it’s a real odd one as it’s the only example of it I think. I couldn’t believe it when I found out about it. I suppose it’s a good thing so few people know about it (though no doubt there are people who would be happy to obtain it cheaply and use it responsibly/in line with guidelines to avoid building dependency too).

@WalkingOnAFlashlightBeam for me the most shocking aspect is that you can buy it online. Surely they would have to conduct some checks to see who is buying it and what for? No way to know that over the internet!

I accidentally did this. I was given a high dose paracetamol for migraine. I was in so much pain I kept forgetting when the 4 hours were up. My DH who was then my boyfriend and didn't live with me luckily came round and broke the door down to my flat because I wasn't answering. Luckily I was sick and threw most of it up before it did any damage.

In future I will only be buying ibuprofen!

Do that if you prefer but watch for renal toxicity, cardiac/Bp effects and gastric upset with anti-inflammatories.

ANY medication that has a desired effect will also always also have potential undesired effects.

My husband ended up taking too much, he says it was the worst feeling he has ever experienced.

I was given a high dose paracetamol for migraine.

What is a ‘high dose paracetamol?’

I have reached for 3x500mg of paracetamol for migraine before, in desperation and needing to go to work - when I mentioned it to a doctor friend she went mad at me and made me promise never to do it again!

I currently have acute sacroiliitis and I'm currently evaluating my painkiller stash. Sadly ibuprofen makes me feel proper sick.

Clearly there needs to be better labelling on all products containing paracetamol, given the sheer amount of ignorance on this thread.

There already is clear warnings on the packaging of all paracetamol products in the UK. It’s difficult to prevent misuse by people who are dumb enough not to read the labels. I’m sorry I don’t mean to sound harsh and I am so glad to hear OPs friend is going to be ok but I struggle to believe that someone can be ignorant enough to accidentally OD on paracetamol. The warnings are all over it and it’s potential toxicity is a well known fact.

I agree with you iamyourequal.
You can't reason with stupid.

Catching up on this thread, many thanks agnurse for your explanation. I've been allergic since childhood and nobody has ever explained why I always get questioned! They tell me how unusual it is. But it's like I have been burned if I take paracetamol.
There have been a few occasions where I have had to be given stronger stuff and I've mostly been super sick, so def not fun. So don't worry, I didn't think you were calling me an addict!
Having read the rest of the thread, I agree there needs to be more education on drugs, otc or not.

By you don't have to avoid paracetamol you just need to read the instructions on the packet, as you should with any medication! It's not the paracetamol itself it's the fact your friend exceeded the dose, and that's when it becomes dangerous. Just make sure you always stick to the max dose unless told otherwise by a Dr.
Ibuprofen can also have severe side effects, such as stomach ulcers or kidney problems if taken when dehydrated in particular. Never assume any medication is safe

For severe pain like toothache it is better to alternate doses of ibuprofen & paracetamol as they are different drugs that work in different ways.

My MWs told me this after birth - though not to exceed max amount of either.

I remember seeing a recent TV program about Calpol being used when it was not necessary or effective.

Possibly BBc 1 truth about drugs
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05qpzc5

family on there got through a bottle a month with one child.

We didn't give it freqently and they haven't had any for years now they are older but did have HCP advice it after injections and with colds and temperatures - which may according to that program have been the best advice.

I strongly disagree with the posters who are are saying people are stupid if they ignore the instructions and everyone knows how dangerous paracetamol is.
Listen to the US radio programme linked above, people really don’t understand how small the gap between a therapeutic and a potentially lethal dose is. It causes more deaths in the US than any other OTC drug.
For some individuals taking as few as two extra tablets a day for a couple of days can cause serious harm.
These are drugs you can buy in the supermarket for pennies not a controlled substance. They don’t seem dangerous and they aren’t presented as dangerous

I don't see what the cost of them has to do with it. I can't remember a time when I didn't know that it can be very dangerous to take more than the stated dose of medicines.

halcyon
The reason the cost is relevant is that they are cheap, ubiquitous tablets. They seem normal and benign. How could something that costs less than a loaf of bread, that you grab with your food shopping really be the single most dangerous thing you bought that day.

It's not usually dangerous if you follow the instructions carefully. Don't most people learn that you should never take too much medicine when they're children? I suppose I've known this since I was a young child having Junior Disprin ( from way back when kids could still have aspirin)
Lots of things you can buy in the supermarket can be dangerous e.g cleaning products, alcohol.