I have taken approx 40 paracetamol in the last 24 hours. do I need to go to hospital?
- Posted:
- 3+ months ago by Sunflower11
- Topics:
- hour, hospital, hospitals
Answers (3)
An overdose of paracetamol can cause serious harm. The maximum amount of paracetamol for adults is 1 gram (1000 mg) per dose and 4 grams (4000 mg) per day. Taking more paracetamol could cause damage to your liver.
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
The first signs of an paracetamol overdose include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, sweating, and confusion or weakness. Later symptoms may include pain in your upper stomach, dark urine, and yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes.
The toxic dose of paracetamol is highly variable. In general the recommended maximum daily dose for healthy adults is 4 grams.
"Most people have few or non-specific symptoms in the first 24 hours following overdose. This may include feeling tired, abdominal pain, or nausea. This is typically followed by a couple of days without any symptoms after which yellowish skin, blood clotting problems, and confusion occurs. Additional complications may include kidney failure, pancreatitis, low blood sugar, and lactic acidosis. If death does not occur, people tend to recover fully over a couple of weeks. Without treatment some cases will resolve while others will result in death." [Wikipedia]
There are tablets ranging from 125mg to 650mg paracetamol each. You have taken 40 (give or take). That's between 5000mg (5 grams) and 26000mg (26 grams).
You need to go to the hospital. Now!
Good speed!
Yes, you should because that is an overdose.Risk of severe liver damage-Based on the dose of paracetamol ingested (mg/kg body weight):Less than 150 mg/kg - unlikely. More than 250 mg/kg - likely. More than 12 g total - potentially fatal. It is normally found as a 500 mg tablet but it is often combined with other active ingredients in various preparations.It is important to remember that, when used at therapeutic levels, paracetamol is usually safe and effective. However, taking 4 g per day (or slightly more) for a few days has been known to result in hepatotoxicity.
https://www.drugs.com/paracetamol.html