One box, yes, three boxes, no. The Medicines Agency has decided to restrict the sale of paracetamol, recommended for combating symptoms linked to coronavirus, in pharmacies and on the Internet. The measure takes effect from Wednesday.
[#coronavirus # covid-19] In order to guarantee the availability of # paracetamol in #pharmacy for all, we are implementing a rule for non-prescription requests only # TeamPharma @Ordre_Pharma
➕ information: https://t.co/Cj2pl59Grm pic.twitter.com/UEf06yWIk1
The sale will be limited to one box per person without symptoms or two boxes in case of fever or pain, adds the agency which is concerned about the risks of "unnecessary storage" to the detriment of those who need it. These measures apply to 500 mg and 1,000 mg cans.
Avoid anti-inflammatory drugs at all costs
In case of pain and / or fever, especially in "the context of COVID-19", the use of paracetamol should be favored while respecting the rules of good use, recalls the health agency. "When used wisely, paracetamol is a safe and effective drug," she says.
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.
Beware of overdose
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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