Max paracetamol? Pharmacists please!

[buttonmoon78]

I know that 2x500 x 4 times a day is max but is there a leeway in that?

Currently got viral tonsillitis and 31 wks pg so can't take brufen which I would normally stagger with paracetamol to provide enough pain cover.

But now I'm reduced to paracetamol every 6 hours and I'm really struggling. Is is ok to take it 5 x a day or really not?

I'm no pharmacist but I had a raging throat and chest infection when I was 28 weeks and was told than even though they were prescribing the paracetamol I still mustn't exceed the daily dose. Hope you're on the mend soon. It's awful being so ill on top of being pregnant.

Oh ok. Sounds like I've got to be a brave soldier then. Cheers!

you need someone to tell you the max dose per kg of weight...

the max dose (4000mg per day) is safe for a smallish 12 year old..... In order to get its license there must be no real harm from a small accidental overdose. If serious harm from a bit too much was possible you wouldnt be able to buy it at tesco's!

therefor a 6ft lots man can safely take more than a tiny 12 year old girl, but they dont put it on the packet.... you need to find out max dose for YOUR (probably pre pregnancy weight?, but im no doctor and havent got a clue!) to find out what it is.....

(just to add im a 5ft 2 size 10ish, and my last boss was a GP..... I thought i could have a "little bit more" when i was really poorly and my GP boss told me that NO WAY should I have another whole dose per day, (but it was officially safe and ok for him too)

I am currently 27 weeks and on the max dose (4x2 tablets a day) as I had an accident this week and have a chest injury. The nurse told me if I wasn't coping on the paracetamol to go back and they could prescribe me some Codeine. I have managed so far but if you are really suffering then it may be worth a trip to the Dr's (out of hours as it's a bank holiday weekend) to see if you can get anything extra.

I was also going to suggest co-codamol which I was given in labour, therefore I think is safe in pg. Please check first, a pharmacist will be able to advise when you go to purchase it.

Have bucket loads of codeine for the spd so when I say paracetamol it's usually a case of either/or. I try not to take too much codeine as it plays merry hell with my bowels

Sounds like I need to phone my sister. She's a consultant anaesthetist so would prob be able to tell me my max dose in a heartbeat!

I think the issue is not that paracetamol is not strong enough, but that 6 hourly doses mean you have peaks and troughs of pain which are not good - hence why I normally stagger the para with brufen - to provide a nice even blanket of pain relief.

Thanks guys!

Hi buttonmoon, I'm a pharmacist and I have to say that although paracetamol is one of the safest drugs around (at the correct dose) it is one of the most dangerous in overdose. It can cause irreversible liver damage which can be fatal! And you're right about not being able to take ibuprofen or aspirin when pregnant. If you need something stronger it is ok to take co-codamol (INSTEAD of the regular paracetamol). This is a combination of paracetamol and codeine. A small amount of codeine does cross the placenta but it's not significant, unless you're taking large doses. Hope this helps.