Another patient in trouble due to painkiller overdose

Information from Cam Khe District Medical Center (Phu Tho) said that the Emergency Department has just received a female patient (19 years old, Phu Tho) in a state of fatigue, headache, and dizziness after taking 9 500mg paracetamol tablets.

The patient had previously contracted Covid-19. Around noon the same day, the patient had a high fever so he asked his 5-year-old brother to mix him some fever-reducing medicine.

However, because he did not know, when he received the blister pack containing 9 paracetamol 500mg tablets from her hand, the boy dissolved them all in a glass of water and gave it to her to drink.

Many cases of liver failure and kidney failure due to painkiller use.

8 hours after taking the medicine, the patient felt exhausted, had a headache, and felt dizzy, so his family took him to the hospital for treatment. Because the time had passed, gastric lavage was no longer effective.

Doctors used antidotes and eliminated paracetamol, closely monitoring symptoms. After 2 days of treatment, the patient's condition is stable, with vital signs within normal limits.

Previously, also regarding the harmful effects of an overdose of painkillers, information from Phu Tho General Hospital said that the facility received a young female patient, named TPH, with severe Paracetamol poisoning.

The patient was admitted to the hospital with slow consciousness, pale skin and mucous membranes, exhausted body, rapid heart rate, edema of both lower limbs, mild abdominal distension, and pain on palpation in the right hypochondrium.

According to the patient's family, 10 hours before being admitted to the hospital, the patient had taken 60 Paracetamol 500mg tablets at the same time. After taking the tablets, the patient had a stomachache and nausea, so his family took him to Phu Tho General Hospital for emergency treatment.

The treating doctors said that this was a very high dose of the drug, about 30 times higher than the normal dose for a 50 kg adult. The patient was diagnosed with acute Paracetamol poisoning at 10 hours and was treated with antidote immediately afterwards.

Information from Bach Mai Hospital also shows that many patients have abused or overdosed on fever-reducing drugs and had to be hospitalized in the emergency room recently.

According to experts, currently on the market in each country there can be up to hundreds of drugs with different names containing the main ingredient paracetamol, in which the common Paracetamol content per tablet is 500mg.

In addition, the drug can be in the form of suppositories, powder packets or syrup. Drug products can contain Paracetamol alone or other ingredients besides Paracetamol such as other pain relievers in combination such as opioids (such as Codeine, Tramadol), or antihistamines such as Chlorpheniramine, vasoconstrictors that help relieve nasal congestion such as Phenylephrine, cough suppressants such as Dextromethorphan, Codeine.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that Paracetamol (also known as Acetaminophen) is a drug that has moderate pain-relieving and fever-reducing effects.

This is the most common cause of poisoning in developed countries. In Vietnam, acute Paracetamol poisoning has become a common cause of poisoning.

Paracetamol poisoning is caused by one of two groups of causes: Intentional overdose (usually detected early and treated promptly); drug abuse, misuse leading to overdose without knowing when using pain reliever or fever reducer at home.

This second case is very likely to happen, usually with people who have high fever, prolonged fever, severe pain, chronic pain... In particular, people who are thin, weak, have poor appetite, high fever or prolonged severe infection, and regularly drink a lot of alcohol are especially susceptible to Paracetamol poisoning.

In addition, people who are taking other medications that can increase the toxicity of Paracetamol such as tuberculosis and epilepsy medications. These people should use the lowest possible dose of Paracetamol.

Initial symptoms of poisoning are often subtle, or even absent, or can be mistaken for symptoms of illness that cause pain and fever. However, when tested, the patient may have a gradual increase in liver enzymes, starting from the 2nd or 3rd day onwards.

In cases of poisoning due to drug abuse, liver damage may be slower. When the patient has jaundice, loss of appetite, etc., it is too late. When there is severe hepatitis, the patient is susceptible to liver failure, hepatic coma, at which point the mortality rate is over 50%.

Regarding the maximum recommended dose of Paracetamol, Vietnamese people with average health and without the above risk factors are: Adults (no more than 3 grams in 24 hours); children (15 mg/kg body weight per time and no more than 6 times/24 hours).

However, using this dose for people with many of the above risk factors and circumstances can cause poisoning. In fact, when prescribing medication for adults, doctors only prescribe 1-1.5 grams of Paracetamol every 24 hours (equivalent to 2-3 tablets of 500 mg). Doctors recommend that it is best for everyone to use the lowest possible dose.

For safe use, experts recommend that adults should only take 2-3 500 mg Paracetamol tablets per day. Patients need to know the names and ingredients of the drugs they are taking and use them according to instructions.

Patients need to pay attention to other medications they are taking, especially medications for tuberculosis or epilepsy..., and their physical condition is susceptible to Paracetamol poisoning (alcohol abuse, weakness, debility, poor appetite, severe infections or wasting diseases).

In addition, according to experts, patients need to know the names and ingredients of the drugs they are taking and use them according to instructions.

In addition, according to the Director of the Poison Control Center, patients need to pay attention to other medications they are taking (especially some drugs to treat tuberculosis or epilepsy that increase the toxicity of Paracetamol) and the physical condition of the patient who is susceptible to Paracetamol poisoning (alcohol abuse, thinness, weakness, poor appetite, severe infections or wasting diseases).

Always combine other safer measures to reduce fever and pain such as loosening clothes, applying compresses, taking warm baths, drinking enough water, etc. If the illness does not improve or there are unusual symptoms, go to the nearest medical facility for examination.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/them-benh-nhan-gap-hoa-vi-dung-thuoc-giam-dau-qua-lieu-d222372.html