More warnings on paracetamol use AM - More warnings on paracetamol use 02/07/2009

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More warnings on paracetamol use

Simon Santow reported this story on Thursday, July 2, 2009 08:15:00

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ASHLEY HALL: A panel of US experts has raised new concerns about a popular painkilling drug. They want drug authorities there to slash the maximum allowable dose of paracetamol because overuse can cause serious liver damage.

Australian drug regulators say they'll examine closely what happens in the US, before deciding whether to act here.

Simon Santow reports.

SIMON SANTOW: Older generations of Australians feeling unwell were advised to take a Bex and have a good lie down. These days the painkiller of choice is paracetamol - available over the counter and thought to be safe so long as it's taken in recommended doses.

ANDREW PESCE: We do know that paracetamol is a potentially dangerous drug if taken in doses which are excessive for any individual. We have been well aware of the fact that it could be dangerous if taken in high doses and we need to take that into account in the average dosing regimens that are suggested to the community.

SIMON SANTOW: Dr Andrew Pesce is President of the Australian Medical Association.

He was reacting to the news that the Food and Drug Administration in the US is considering reducing the dose of popular painkillers. An expert panel has told the FDA it is concerned by the risk of damage to the liver caused by the current acceptable dosage levels.

In Australia the issue has been closely looked at twice in the last decade and the Therapeutic Goods Administration says it will take a fresh look at the most recent evidence. It too has an advisory committee that could potentially be consulted on the issue.

Dr Pesce from the AMA says it's important to remind Australians of the dangers of overdosing on paracetamol.

ANDREW PESCE: You can't just keep taking more paracetamol without taking some risk of ill-effects.

SIMON SANTOW: Do Australians take too much paracetamol in your view?

ANDREW PESCE: Look, I don't think so. I think that the doses that most people take and remember paracetamol is considered a fairly low-level painkiller. I think that on its own it is not usually taken in any excessive amounts.

You have to remember however that increasingly paracetamol is sometimes included in compound formulations for cold and flu tablets etc and especially if people aren't aware of that, there is the risk of inadvertently taking a lot more than you thought you were.

SIMON SANTOW: If you cut the dose, what is the risk in terms of the effectiveness of the drug?

ANDREW PESCE: I guess there is no risk except that you may not get adequate pain relief but on the other hand if you are not getting adequate pain relief from a reasonable dose of pain relieving medication, you probably need to reassess the situation and get some professional advice as to whether a) there is an underlying condition which requires some separate treatment and b) if you, you know, you can't take enough paracetamol without taking potentially dangerous levels, that you should possibly be thinking of taking an alternative pain reliever.

ASHLEY HALL: The federal AMA president, Dr Andrew Pesce ending that report from Simon Santow.

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concept		evidence	hits	links
	$drugwar_propaganda [news] [concept]	$propaganda_theme2 $propaganda_theme3		Classic Modern Drug Propaganda Themes in Chemical Prohibition Drug War Propaganda (book)
	$propaganda_theme2 [news] [concept]	"dangerous drug" "death" "damage" "dangerous" "dangers"	9	Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://www.drugwarfacts.org/crime.htm http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm Distortion 18: Cannabis and Mental Illness
	$propaganda_theme3 50% [news] [concept]	"community"	1	Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3)
	$drugs 90% [news] [concept]	$various_drugs
	$pharms [news] [concept]	$acetaminophen		http://www.erowid.org/pharms/pharms.shtml
	$nsai [news] [concept]	$acetaminophen
	$nonnarcotic_analgesic [news] [concept]	$acetaminophen
	$acetaminophen [news] [concept]	"paracetamol"	12	http://www.erowid.org/pharms/acetaminophen/
	$various_drugs 90% [news] [concept]	"drug"	6
	$aggrandizement [news] [concept]	"experts" "expert" "authorities"	3	http://www.google.com/search?q=%22tyranny+o...

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