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Paracetamol is a commonly available medicine which people often pop in case of fever or pain. However, a new study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has found that taking a slightly higher dose of paracetamol over a period of time can be more dangerous than a single overdose.

 

The research, led by Dr. Kenneth Simpson, from the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit, Scotland, analyzed the data obtained from 663 patients between the years 1992 and 2008. All these patients had been admitted to the hospital with paracetamol induced liver injury. The researchers found that 161 of these patients had been taking paracetamol in slightly higher doses to get relief from common ailments and pains. 

 

According to Dr. Simpson, these patients are more dangerous than those patients who have taken a large dose of the medicine at one go. Normally, in patients presenting in the hospital with suspected drug poisoning, the blood levels of the concerned drug are measured and steps taken to eliminate the medicine from the system. However, in patients who have been taking the medicine in small doses over a period of time, it is very difficult to assess drug poisoning by measuring the blood levels. But as paracetamol has been accumulating in the patient’s body over a period of time, such patients are at an increased risk of developing liver failure and death.

 

Patients who have been taking paracetamol for a long time have an increased likelihood of suffering from liver failure and may require a liver transplantation. They may require dialysis and have brain problems and may even succumb due to the continuous liver insult. The researchers have advised that blood levels of a drug are a poor indicator of its toxicity. In case a patient is suspected of taking staggered overdose of paracetamol, he may be considered for treatment with N-acetylcysteine, a paracetamol antidote, even if the blood level of paracetamol is low. In more serious patients, liver transplantation may be an option.

 

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