Be careful with paracetamol

06:48

A dzisiaj tekst o paracetamolu i toksyczności, napisany dla jednego z zagranicznych portali o zdrowiu,miłego czytania :)

I am certain most people take paracetamol(acetaminophen) when they have fever, headache, stomache  or bone pain because it has antipyretic and analgesic effect and it is said that it  is very safe. It is also recommended for pregnant women and children. But nobody mentions its side effects and toxicity.


Paracetamol is active metabolite of phenacetin and acetanilide and it is widely used over-the-counter drug. It means that everybody can buy it,even children and it is easily available in different places. It is often used in suicidal attempts. In healthy adults,maximum daily dose is up to 4000 mg, but it is believed that this dose can be toxic to some people.

Acute overdose of paracetamol can result in hepatotoxicity and liver damage. But it is not from acetaminophen itself but its metabolites N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoeimine (NAPQI). It is normally produced 
in small amounts and immediately detoxified in liver by conjugtion with glutathione. When a toxic dose is ingested (around 10g) ,normal glucuronide pathaway is saturated and there is excess NAPQI produced. Also with ingestion of alcohol, there is reduced level of glutathione and increased risk of pracetamol hepatotoxicity.

http://www.prn.usm.my/old_website/mainsite/bulletin/1995/prn1.html

Food and drug association announced that paracetamol is also associated with serious skin conditions: Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis and exanthematous pustulosis. Swedish teenager experienced toxic epidermal necrolysis after taking paracetamol.She had taken it many times earlier and never had side effects,  Combination of virus and few paracetamol tablets created terrifying reaction which manifested in blistering, burning,scabing and skin felling off from arms, chest and stomach.

Also in some people there can be renal side effects: acute renal failure, acute tubular necrosis,interstitial nephritis. Mostly they can be observed during chronic ingestion or overdose. 

We have to be careful with paracetamol, if it is possible we should avoid it and if we have some side effects, stop it immediately and contact doctor. Although it is safe for children and pregnant women, sometimes it can be danger to our health. And rememeber not to mix it with alcohol.




  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/6974596/Swedish-girl-grows-back-face-after-reaction-to-Paracetamol.html
  • http://healthland.time.com/2013/08/02/acetaminophen-linked-to-fatal-skin-reactions/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol#Adverse_effects
  • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12006215
  • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014937/
  • http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/820200-overview
  • http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/93/6/341
  • http://www.harvardhealthcontent.com/newsletters/69,N0114d
  • http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/27/1/14/5
  • http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0101/p107.html
  • http://www.jpma.org.pk/full_article_text.php?article_id=3419
  • http://www.drugs.com/sfx/paracetamol-side-effects.html

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