Aches, a headache, an evening too watered the day before: the French easily use paracetamol, a very popular medicine, to treat a condition considered benign. But they do not necessarily know the dangers when it is consumed at too high a dose. This is why the Agence du Médicament (ANSM) asked, Tuesday, July 9, that they are more clearly notified.
The ANSM reminds the #recommendations of good use of # paracetamol: "The lowest dose, the least possible time".
For ➕ information: https://t.co/aOz9QQUcWu pic.twitter.com/77GRLcZ5Vy
Paracetamol: attention "overdose = danger". The warning written in red will now appear on the boxes containing this drug, the most commonly prescribed and used against fever and pain, because of the risk of toxicity to the liver.
This measure concerns more than 200 paracetamol-based medicines (Doliprane, Dafalgan, etc.) marketed in France, announced the ANSM.
The laboratories concerned have nine months to modify the medication boxes containing paracetamol to include the alert messages requested by the ANSM.
On the boxes containing only paracetamol, the complete mention on the front side will be "overdose = danger" and "Exceeding the dose can destroy the liver". All framed in red.
It happens that consumers exceed the recommended dose, and ingest doses of paracetamol that seriously damage their liver. The daily Le Parisien relays the testimony of a young man of 22, who had to be transplanted from this organ after ingesting 6 to 7 tablets a day for several months.
💊 The consequences of using # paracetamol can be dramatic on the liver, but these are not well known.
☑️ The ansm asks manufacturers to put a # prevention message on the boxes, in order to prevent risks when used in self-medication. pic.twitter.com/3lfUxwjHy9
The prevention message will be accompanied by information aimed at reducing the risk of overdose and therefore liver damage, on the back side, on the back of the box: maximum dose per dose per day, respect of the delay between two doses, exclusion of taking another medication containing paracetamol ...
For paracetamol-based medicinal products associated with another active substance, the ANSM requires the laboratories to affix, also on the front side, the following statement: "overdose = danger" and "Do not take another medicine containing paracetamol ".
"A safe and effective medicine"
The case recalls the recommendations of good practice, namely to take "the lowest dose for the shortest possible time", to respect the maximum daily dose and the recommended duration of treatment and to check whether there is paracetamol in the others. medications (used for pain, fever, allergies, cold or flu symptoms).
For some people (under 50 kilos, liver disease, severe kidney disease, chronic alcoholism ...), the doctor's advice is recommended before taking paracetamol.
"Used wisely, paracetamol is a safe and effective medicine," says the Medicines Agency. But its "misuse (...) is the first cause of liver transplantation of drug origin in France."
The consumption of drugs containing paracetamol, alone or in combination with another active substance, is close to one billion boxes per year in France, according to the health agency.
In ten years (2006-2017), box sales increased by 53%.
With AFP