2023-04-28 05:00:56
Do you use paracetamol often? Do you do it without a prescription? It is better to take some precautions to avoid its unwanted effect on the liver.
A common headache, you go to your medicine cabinet and take a pain reliever. Then comes a pain in the knee, because you ran too much that afternoon in your training; So, you take another pain reliever. But you may be taking too much paracetamol and the drug could damage your liver.
Paracetamol or acetaminophen is an over-the-counter pain reliever in most countries. It is also indicated as an antipyretic, to reduce fever. It is marketed alone or in combination with other active ingredients (for example, in anti-flu).
Although it has always been considered a safe drug and a good option over ibuprofen or diclofenac, not without risk. Excessive consumption of paracetamol can damage your liver and put your life at risk.
Paracetamol intoxication or adverse effect?
We have to differentiate two situations. One issue is getting poisoned with paracetamol, acutely, by taking high amounts of the active ingredient in a short time; and another very different one is to accumulate milligrams and milligrams for weeks, until affecting the liver.
According to data released by the Research Center CICbioGUNE, in the United States there are 60 million people who consume paracetamol in a week. Every year, there are 30,000 cases of hospital admissions for liver damage caused by an overdose of the drug.
In parallel, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics records that 20% of drug poisoning in children under 5 years of age in that country are due to acetaminophen. Of course, most of them are unintentional, as part of home accidents.
We are talking about acute paracetamol poisoning, capable of damaging the liver, when a person consumes more than 150 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight in a single day. This is equivalent to an average of 8 grams (g) of the medication for an adult of normal weight.
The adverse effect on the liver, which occurs over several days, would be chronic or continuous poisoning. For this, it is estimated that an adult must consume the toxic dose that we already mentioned, for at least 4 days.
Symptoms of paracetamol poisoning
The symptoms of acute or continued poisoning are non-specific. In general, the person goes through 4 phases, as detailed in a publication by US Pharma:
- First phase: nausea, vomiting and general malaise.
- Second level: liver damage begins. In general, 24 hours after reaching the toxic dose. There are almost no symptoms and those who were in the first phase disappear. However, if a laboratory study is carried out, blood alterations referring to the liver are already observed.
- Third phase: nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes), liver failure with coagulation problems and encephalopathy, as well as kidney failure.
- Fourth phase: He entered a hepatic coma, with serious life risk.
How to prevent paracetamol from damaging your liver?
Acetaminophen can initiate liver damage at 4 grams a dayas detailed in Statpearls. This means that the 1 gram presentation, over the counter, should not be ingested less frequently than one tablet every 6 hours.
Needless to say, this is the main tip to prevent paracetamol from damaging your liver. Do not exceed 4 grams daily! But let’s see more actions that we can take.
1. Read the labels to know the active ingredients
According to an article in the Toxicology Archives, many acetaminophen poisonings occur by combining drugs. That is, by ingesting different commercial presentations, in which each tablet or syrup comes with some dose of acetaminophen.
It is common in times of colds and flu. People tend to combine flu medications that include three or even four different active ingredients.
If two of them have paracetamol in their composition, we are more at risk of an overdose. First of all, it is essential to read the labels and prospectuses. But even more, it would be a priority not to self-medicate.
And if we already started an anti-flu and then consulted the doctor, let’s discuss with the professional what we are taking on our own. In this way, the prescription can be limited to a safe amount.
2. Buy regular-dose paracetamol to avoid damaging your liver
The commercials and the marketing pharmacist concentrate their efforts on promoting active ingredients with a higher dose than the recommended one. For example, 600 mg ibuprofen or 1000 mg paracetamol.
The truth is that you can buy 500 mg paracetamol, the usual, the usual, and obtain the same analgesic results. Higher doses are only needed when a physician deems that the clinical picture warrants it. Perhaps a recurring pain due to a chronic pathology that is difficult to address.
This simple measure reduces the chances of overdose. You would need 8 500mg paracetamol tablets a day to reach the 4g safe limit. On the other hand, with the other presentation you only need 4 tablets in a day.
3. Increase caution if you have a special situation
There are certain conditions and characteristics that make a person more susceptible to paracetamol poisoning:
- Alcohol consumption: We know from scientific data that those who drink alcohol on a chronic and continuous basis have a greater risk of liver damage when using acetaminophen.
- Advanced age: polypharmacy increases with aging. This means that different prescriptions and combinations are received for the pathologies that are suffered. a text of Medical Clinics notes that older adults taking medication for chronic pain are at greater risk of acetaminophen overdose.
- Malnutrition or malnutrition: Malnourished people or people with eating disorders activate compensation mechanisms in their liver. This makes the organ more easily exposed to drug damage, as reported in scientific studies.
Paracetamol can damage the liver, but you are in control
Like all medication, acetaminophen is not without adverse effects. However, it is a very safe analgesic when used in the recommended doses.
Don’t self medicate. Consult a doctor to receive the appropriate amount of prescription and avoid poisoning.
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