WHEN PARACETAMOL TURNS FOE...

When it comes to drugs, Paracetamol is a house hold name. It is an analgesic (pain-killer) and an antipyretic (reduces elevated body temperature/fever) and with very weak anti-inflammatory activity. It is an over-the-counter medicine meaning it can be bought without need of a prescription. It comes mainly in 500mg round or oval tablets sold as paracetamol by Emzor, May & Baker, and as Panadol by Glaxo Smithkline (GSK). Other companies market this drug with other brand names. To know what a drug contains, check the park or the blister sachets for a section where you see an inscription about contents.
Paracetamol is generally safe for use in most people. Even in pregnancy, no causal relationship has linked paracetamol to any foetal danger. It does not cause or worsen stomach ulcers as with some Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Naproxen, Piroxicam, etc neither does it contain substances such as misoprostol which can hurt the unborn being in the womb (foetus) but protects the stomach from irritations when combined with diclofenac (as in Misoprostol).
An average adult takes about 1000mg three to four times daily for treatment of headache and fever and children may take less. An adult must not take more than 4grams (4000mg) in 24 hours. Your doctor will tell you how much of paracetamol to take. It is wise and advisable to report back to your doctor or pharmacist if you feel paracetamol isn’t good for you as two people do not always respond to a medicine the same way. Also should you have any questions about your medications, a pharmacist is professionally trained to and will be ready to attend to you. At Pharma-Guide Digest, we are always willing to attend to your queries.

As a rule, do not obtain drug information from friends and hear say and do not broadcast messages about health and medicines without personally verifying about such from professionals.

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POSIONING THROUGH OVER-DOSAGE

When paracetamol is taken, it is metabolized into toxic and non-toxic by products but the toxic product is usually produced in small amounts and detoxified (neutralized) by the liver almost immediately too. However, in the case of overdose, the liver becomes overwhelmed and, the toxic by-product, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI) causes severe damage to the liver. This effect is seen within 3-4days and may lead to very serious liver failure within days after the overdose. The liver organ is very crucial and plays important roles in the well-being of the human system and when it fails, the kidney doesn’t last so long thereafter.

PARACETAMOL AND ALCOHOL

Although, there are conflicting reports about alcohol inducing microsomal enzymes which may cause the production of toxic by-products of paracetamol when consumed together, it is advisable not to combine both products in order to be on the safe side.

CREDITS:
Wikipedia.com
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Emdex (2014-2015 Edition)