find out how to take care of yourself

2023-06-13 21:37:20

Do you often take paracetamol? And this without a doctor’s prescription? If this is the case, you should take some precautionary measures to prevent its adverse effect on the liver.

Last update : June 13, 2023

A running headache, you go to your medicine cabinet and take a painkiller. Next comes knee pain, because you ran too much in your workout, so you take another painkiller. Attention ! If you may be taking too much paracetamol, you risk damaging your liver.

Paracetamol or acetaminophen is an over-the-counter pain reliever in most countries. It is also indicated as an antipyretic to lower fever. It is marketed alone or in combination with other active ingredients (for example, an anti-flu).

Although it has always been considered a safe drug and a good option over ibuprofen or diclofenac, it is not without risks. Taking too much paracetamol can damage your liver and put your life at risk.

Paracetamol poisoning or adverse effect?

Two situations must be differentiated: poisoning yourself with paracetamol, acutely, taking large amounts of the active ingredient in a short time and accumulating milligrams and milligrams for weeks until it affects the liver.

According to data published by the research center CICbioGUNE, in the United States, 60 million people take paracetamol in a week. Every year, there are 30,000 cases of hospital admissions for liver damage caused by an overdose of the drug.

At the same time, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics indicates that 20% of drug poisonings in children under 5 in this country are due to acetaminophen. But most of them are involuntary and are part of domestic accidents.

We are talking about acute paracetamol poisoning, capable of damaging the liver, when more than 150 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight is consumed in a single day. This equates to an average of 8 grams (g) of medication for a normal weight adult.

The detrimental effect on the liver, which manifests itself over several days, would be chronic or continuous intoxication. It is then estimated that an adult must consume the toxic dose for at least 4 days.

Symptoms of paracetamol poisoning

Symptoms of acute or continuous poisoning are nonspecific. In general, the person goes through 4 phases:

First phase : nausea, vomiting and general malaise.
Second stage: liver damage usually begins 24 hours after reaching the toxic dose. There are almost no symptoms, and those that were present in the first phase disappear. However, if a laboratory study is carried out, blood alterations referring to the liver can be observed.
Third stage: nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes), liver failure with bleeding disorders and encephalopathy and renal failure.
Fourth stage: entry into hepatic coma, with serious vital risk.

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How to prevent paracetamol from damaging your liver?

Acetaminophen can cause liver damage with 4 grams per day. Since the over-the-counter format is 1 gram, you should not take more than 1 tablet every 6 hours.

In summary, the main way to avoid liver damage is to do not exceed 4 grams per day ! Let’s see what other precautions to take.

1. Read Labels for Active Ingredients

Many paracetamol poisonings occur as a result of a combination of drugs. That is, after ingestion of different commercial presentations, in which each tablet or syrup contains a certain dose of acetaminophen.

This happens especially during a cold or flu. People tend to combine flu medications that contain three or even four different active ingredients.

If two of them have paracetamol in their composition, the risk of overdose increases. So, first of all, it is essential to read the instructions. But even more, it is essential not to self-medicate.

And if you have already taken an anti-flu before consulting a doctor, discuss it with the professional. The prescription can thus be limited to a safe quantity.

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2. Buy regular dose paracetamol to prevent liver damage

The salespeople and le marketing pharmaceutical companies focus their efforts on promoting active ingredients at a higher dose than recommended. For example, 600 mg of ibuprofen or 1000 mg of paracetamol.

The truth is you can buy 500mg of paracetamol, the usual, the usual, and get the same analgesic results. Higher doses are only necessary when a physician feels the clinical picture warrants it. Perhaps recurrent pain due to a chronic condition that is difficult to treat.

This simple measure reduces the risk of overdose. You would need 8 tablets of paracetamol of 500mg per day to reach the safe limit of 4g. On the other hand, with the other presentation, you only need 4 tablets per day.

3. Be extra careful if you have a particular situation

There are certain conditions and characteristics that make a person more susceptible to paracetamol poisoning:

Alcohol consumption : we know from scientific data that people who drink alcohol chronically and continuously have a higher risk of liver damage when taking acetaminophen.
Advanced age : polypharmacy increases with age. Older adults taking chronic pain medications are at increased risk of acetaminophen overdose.
Malnutrition or malnutrition: people who are malnourished or who suffer from eating disorders activate compensatory mechanisms in their liver. This organ is then more easily exposed to the damage caused by the drug, as reported by scientific studies.