Researchers Say Availability of Higher Dose OTC Paracetamol Linked to Poisoning

Headaches and muscle pain are usually body pains you brush off and sometimes urge you to "self-medicate" to have that instant relief and carry on with your routine. Paracetamol may be the drug you often take to ease your body's pain and store extras on your pouch to be prepared whenever you feel uneasy because of body pain.

National Institutes of Health (NIH), in their article, stated that acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, exhibited a consistent safety profile. However, concerns were raised about the toxicity of non-prescription analgesics. And yes, you may be poisoned by intaking too much paracetamol. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) investigated the link of high dosage paracetamol's availability over the counter on paracetamol poisoning and concluded that it is.

(Photo: PublicDomainPictures)

ALSO READ: Paracetamol Is No Longer Just For Pain, Its for the Psyche Too

According to (NIH), paracetamol is one of the most widely used drugs with experience establishing it as the typical antipyretic and pain-reliever for mild to moderate pain. NIH added that paracetamol was made available commercially in the United States in the 1950s, and since then, paracetamol's use was normalized among the people.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reported that in 1997, paracetamol was reported to the American Poison Centers accountable for about 4.1% of deaths. Andrea Burden, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at ETH Zurich, said in an interview with Medical Xpress that paracetamol is a very safe drug but only for short-term pain relief dosage will not go higher than the recommended range. According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), acetaminophen's daily recommended dosage is 4 grams for adults and 90 milligrams in children. On the other hand, the burden also emphasized that there are complications when overdosed, such as liver failure.

Consult with Your Healthcare Provider

In the interview, Burden also explained that paracetamol is not effective for all kinds of pains; that is why people tend to be tempted to take another tablet and increase the dosage without consulting a medical expert. Burden stressed that if paracetamol does not work for your body pains, people should seek medical advice from their doctors to find the best therapeutic option to avoid accidental overdose, which is not great.

What happens when you experience paracetamol poisoning?

An article from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) Toxicity is a common cause of acute liver failure among children and adolescents. UPMC added that this could happen due to consciously or accidentally taking more than the daily dose of paracetamol. A study published in the NCBI stated that 60 million Americans are taking acetaminophen daily. This means a large number of Americans are at risk of Paracetamol poisoning or Acetaminophen Toxicity.

How should this be avoided?

According to ETH-Professor Andrea Burden, packs of the higher doses of paracetamol should contain smaller amounts of the paracetamol. She also advised physicians to prescribe the lower doses to avoid accidentally exceeding the recommended daily dose and prevent them from experiencing paracetamol poisoning.

Check out more news and information on Pharmaceutical Companies on MD News Daily.