www.assistpainrelief.com/info/paracetamol/
Upshot: Paracetamol WILL NOT harm you if taken in therapeutic limits.
"Paracetamol can be used by patients for whom NSAIDs are contraindicated, including those with asthma or peptic ulcers. Because there are few interactions with other medications, paracetamol can be taken by people with sensitivity to aspirin. Cholestyramine, which lowers high cholesterol, may reduce the rate at which paracetamol is absorbed by the gut, while Metoclopramide and Domperidone, which are used to relieve the symptoms of stomach disorders, may have the opposite effect and should be used with caution. Paracetamol has shown no propensity to be addictive, even in people who use it frequently. Long-term or regular use of paracetamol may, however, increase the anticoagulant activity of warfarin or similar anticoagulant medicines so caution may be required in these instances.
Some research suggests that it may protect the arteries from the changes that lead to hardening of the arteries, which can cause strokes, heart attacks or cardiovascular disease. This is because paracetamol can inhibit the oxidation of some of the low-density lipoproteins that carry 'bad' cholesterol, counteracting the process that causes the formation of arterial plaque. There is also some evidence to suggest that paracetamol may offer some protection against ovarian cancer.
Paracetamol, however, is not useful in reducing inflammation or the swelling of the skin or joints. This is because paracetamol has no clinically useful anti-inflammatory properties.
The body rapidly absorbs Paracetamol, with the soluble form being absorbed even faster than the solid tablets. As the paracetamol is metabolised, the peak blood level remains less than 20mg/litre after a standard adult 1000mg dose. Blood serum levels will normally peak between half an hour to two hours after ingestion. The analgesic properties of paracetamol will last for around four hours. Paracetamol has a half-life of about two hours, after which it will rapidly be expelled from the body.
Paracetamol is primarily metabolised in the liver. Paracetamol and its two primary metabolites are remarkably safe compounds. About 90% of the dose of paracetamol will be combined with glucuronide and sulphate before being excreted. Of the remaining 10%, about 5% will leave the body unchanged and the other 5% will be oxidized to benzoquinoneimine. The benzoquinoneimine is then combined with glutathione and becomes metabolised on to cysteine and mercapturate compounds before being safely excreted via the kidneys.
Because they have heard that a large dose of paracetamol can damage the liver, some people mistakenly believe that a small dose of paracetamol must therefore be able to cause minor damage to the liver. Taken long-term, in proper therapeutic doses, the liver and other organs should not be harmed by paracetamol."