Paracetamol: contraindications

Paracetamol has been widely used in medical practice for many years. It has established itself as an effective emergency aid for acute inflammatory diseases, accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature.

In addition to febrifuge, the drug has analgesic and minor anti-inflammatory effects. It is used for small and medium pains of various origins: dental, head, menstrual, muscular.

Paracetamol is a part of many, including children's, medicines.

However, the uncontrolled use of paracetamol and the medicines it includes, can have serious consequences for human health and even life.

Worldwide, there have been many cases of poisoning with drugs including paracetamol. Contraindications, the list of which is small, does not affect the number of poisonings. The danger is more associated with long-term use, high doses and a wide spread of the drug. Uncontrolled use of paracetamol can lead to death.

The drug is effective and even indispensable for ARVI and flu. But in order to confidently take paracetamol, contraindications, side effects and dosage should be carefully studied.

The drug is safe if taken only in extreme cases, short course and in a strict dosage recommended by a doctor.

When should I not take paracetamol? Contraindications: individual intolerance, blood diseases, serious disorders in the kidney and liver, some genetic diseases, chronic alcoholism. In these cases, even a normal dose of the drug can cause irreversible changes in the body.

Is it possible to take paracetamol during pregnancy and breastfeeding? Contraindications in this case should be determined by a doctor. Official medicine allows you to take the drug during pregnancy. It is known that paracetamol penetrates the placenta, but it is not established whether it has a negative effect on the fetus. Therefore, the decision on the appropriateness of prescribing this drug during pregnancy depends only on the doctor.

Patients with minor abnormalities in liver function, elevated bilirubin in the blood without disturbing liver function and elderly people should be treated with caution.

The use of paracetamol for courses longer than five days requires mandatory monitoring of the liver and blood.

Poisoning with paracetamol is possible with long-term use and if the dose is exceeded. The drug during decomposition has a negative effect on the liver. In overdose or long-term treatment with paracetamol, the liver is exposed to toxic effects, which leads to the death of its cells. The severity of the lesion depends on the dosage and duration of the course.

If there are the slightest deviations in the work of the liver, then taking the drug can harm the health, even at prescribed doses.

People who abuse alcohol, paracetamol is contraindicated. Even single cases of taking a medicine at the same time as a drink can cause serious disturbances in the functioning of the liver.

Especially large is the risk of severe lesions with paracetamol intoxication in hereditary liver diseases , the taking of certain drugs, chronic alcoholism, fasting, chronic and acute hepatitis, both viral and non-viral.

Frequent use of paracetamol leads to irreversible changes in the kidneys - destruction of cells and severe renal failure. Especially often such changes occur in the elderly.

The drug negatively affects the blood, and, it is - prevents the formation of blood cells, especially leukocytes. Reducing the number of white blood cells makes a person vulnerable to infectious diseases. Decreased platelet count can lead to bleeding.

Paracetamol causes such side effects from the digestive tract: heartburn, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, pain and bloating. Allergic reactions are possible in the form of urticaria, rash, itching, and Quincke's edema.

The dose of the drug, at which irreversible changes in the kidneys and liver begin, is 5 grams, the toxic dose is 10 grams, the lethal dose of paracetamol is 25 grams. The lethal and toxic dose for people suffering from liver pathologies or chronic alcoholism is significantly lower.