Hospitalized for taking dozens of paracetamol pills to treat headache

The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases has just received and successfully treated Ms. MNT, 72 years old, residing in Hanoi , in a state of fatigue, with limp limbs and no longer able to control herself.

According to her family, Ms. T. has a history of diabetes for more than 10 years and is taking regular medication. In addition, she often has headaches, but many visits to the doctor have not detected any specific pathology, so she still maintains the habit of buying medicine to take herself. Whenever she has a headache, she often takes paracetamol combined with some brain tonics without a doctor's prescription.

Late on the evening of May 21, she had a severe headache. Thinking it was just a familiar symptom, she took a few paracetamol pills. However, after a while, she did not feel any better, so she continued taking more.

Only about 30 minutes later, her body went limp, her limbs were limp, and she could not control her movements. Upon discovering her unusual condition, her family immediately took her to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases that same night.

Fortunately, the patient was given a bowel wash and timely treatment, and no damage to the liver or other internal organs was recorded. Currently, her health is stable, she can eat and walk normally.

Doctor Tran Van Bac, Deputy Head of the Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) is a common pain reliever and fever reducer, often used in cases of mild to moderate pain and fever due to colds or flu.

This drug is easily available, does not require a prescription and is generally safe when used in the right dose. However, if abused or overdosed, paracetamol can cause serious poisoning, especially liver damage – even leading to acute liver failure if not promptly intervened.

Doctor Tran Van Bac recommends that people should not arbitrarily use painkillers when the cause of the disease is not clear. Taking many pills at once or combining drugs with the same active ingredient paracetamol can easily lead to overdose without the user realizing it.

When there are signs of suspected drug poisoning such as nausea, fatigue, pain in the liver area, jaundice, confusion... the patient should be taken to a medical facility as soon as possible. In particular, the elderly and patients with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver, and kidney disease should consult a doctor before using any medication, including non-prescription drugs.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nhap-vien-khan-cap-vi-uong-hang-chuc-vien-paracetamol-tri-dau-dau-post881770.html