Paracetamol: watch for side effects

In Western countries, it is the leading cause of acute liver failure, sometimes leading to liver transplantation; It is also one of the leading causes of toxic deaths and abuse, according to a study conducted by the multilateral observatory of acute poisonings in Ile-de-France. Thus, paracetamol is the second drug to be reported to the Paris poison control center, after bromazepam and before ibuprofen and hydroxyzine in case of voluntary ingestion.

SO ! Panacea or poison? “All drugs can cause drug-induced hepatitis,” explains Professor Gabriel Perlemuter, a gastroenterologist at the Béclair hospital in Hauts-de-Seine. That is, inflammation of the liver. But Dolipran has a “special feature: a dose-dependent mechanism of immunoallergic development, unlike other drugs.” Cleansing is carried out by the liver. In the case of a well-functioning liver, even a whole jar does not cause hepatitis. The situation becomes more complicated when it comes to a person who “takes too much or also drinks alcohol. The purification routes for alcohol and paracetamol are identical. Therefore, we increase the toxicity of Dolipran.”

Never take more than one gram per dose.

In 2021, an investigation by Ofma (French Observatory of Analgesics) concluded that knowledge about medicines containing paracetamol, and therefore the possibility of overdosing regardless of your desire, is imperfect.

How to detect too much catch? Unfortunately, no clinical signs are observed without examination. Only a blood test that detects liver enzyme levels can detect the strong presence of paracetamol in the body. However, there is an antidote, N-acetylcysteine, that is prescribed in the emergency room. To avoid getting to this point, simply follow current recommendations: never take more than one gram per dose, no more than four grams per day (three per day for self-medication, according to Ofma), and space out six-hour doses.