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Paracetamol overdose
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Hi. I'm a little worried about my sister. She's been ill for a few days with a nasty cold and last night went out and got very drunk. She said this morning she thinks she took 3 paracetamol instead of 2 because she couldn't count - she was out of it! Then she's had 2 flu drinks containing the equivilant of another 4 tablets all together and I think they were only taken about 3 hours apart. Will she be ok?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.lol, yeah thats what she took - 2 lemon sip. Can't see how she can stand them. I'd rather suffer. I told her not to have anymore today but I get really worried because shes very slim so I'd imagine she can't metabolize it that quickly and with her alcohol consumption last night, her liver must be working overtime. I just hope thats all she took and she hasn't taken anymore but forgot.
Yes, but if she is unsure of how many she took, you know that they can do a blood test in the hospital to determine the exact amount of acetaminophen in the blood stream and can administer NAC if necessary. As a nurse, you know that any suspected paracetamol overdose, especially one where the exact amount ingested is unknown, should be treated as an emergency and evaluated by a physician. I am sure she will be fine, but you should contact a doctor and discuss it to be safe. Like I said, symptoms of paracetamol poisoning may take 24 hours to appear, at which point it may be too late to do anything. If you have any real reason to believe that more than just a few tablets were taken, please get her checked out.
i know you have your answer but i just wanted to say i read an article the other day, think it was bmj of a rct involving paracetamol which showed that 1.5 grams (3 stanadard tablet) was more effective and no more harmful than 2. you would have to look at the total amount taken in 24 hours, but if its less than 4 gm she should be ok