The sale will now be limited to one box per person without symptoms, or two boxes in case of fever or pain. The National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) announced on Monday restrictions on the sale of paracetamol, which is recommended to combat symptoms caused by coronavirus. Sales will be limited in pharmacies, and suspended on the internet as of Wednesday, the ANSM worrying about the risks of "unnecessary storage" to the detriment of those who really need it.
These measures apply to 500 mg and 1,000 mg cans. In the event of pain and / or fever, in particular in "the context of COVID-19", the use of paracetamol must be privileged by respecting the rules of good use, reminds the health agency. "When used wisely, paracetamol is a safe and effective drug," she said.
Do not exceed 3g / day
The health agency also recalls its warning against "anti-inflammatory drugs - including ibuprofen - (which) can mask an infection and potentially have an aggravating effect in certain situations". However, she recommends that patients treated with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids not to stop their treatment and not to hesitate to approach their doctor to ask them about the course of action.
In self-medication, the dose of 3 g / day should not be exceeded. This involves checking for the presence of paracetamol in other medicines used to combat pain, fever, allergies, cold symptoms or flu-like illness so as not to exceed the daily dose.
In case of an overdose, paracetamol can cause serious liver damage, even irreversible in some cases: the improper use of paracetamol is the first cause of liver transplantation of drug origin in France, she insists.
The agency therefore recommends, in the absence of a prescription, to take "the lowest dose (500 mg), as short a time as possible" and to "respect the maximum dose per dose", namely one gram. The minimum interval between doses should be 4 to 6 hours minimum and the maximum recommended duration of treatment from three days (in case of fever) to five in case of pain.
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