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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is Excessive Paracetamol And Codeine Ingestion Dangerous?

Hello Doctor, My wife took 16 tablets(Paracetamol-500mg+Codeine-8mg) in one go due to severe head ache , now she feels sleepy, i m asking her..she is telling that she is fine but feeling sleepy. Do i need to get her to emergency treatment? She is 25yrs old and her weight is 58kg Hoping your help on this, Thank you
Fri, 12 Sep 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi,

Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
Max adult dose: Codeine equals 360 mg/day; acetaminophen(Paracetamol) equals 4 g/day.
Blood dyscrasias, respiratory depression, hepatic damage (may occur up to several days after overdose of Paracetamol and Codeine.
Signs and symptoms of paracetamol toxicity may initially be absent or non-specific symptoms. The first symptoms of overdose usually begin several hours after ingestion, with nausea, vomiting, sweating, and pain as acute liver failure starts. People who take overdoses of paracetamol do not fall asleep or lose consciousness.
You need to take her to emergency department and place her on paracetatmol overdosage mangement immediately.






Regards

Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D.
Mumbai
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Is Excessive Paracetamol And Codeine Ingestion Dangerous?

Hi, Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns. Max adult dose: Codeine equals 360 mg/day; acetaminophen(Paracetamol) equals 4 g/day. Blood dyscrasias, respiratory depression, hepatic damage (may occur up to several days after overdose of Paracetamol and Codeine. Signs and symptoms of paracetamol toxicity may initially be absent or non-specific symptoms. The first symptoms of overdose usually begin several hours after ingestion, with nausea, vomiting, sweating, and pain as acute liver failure starts. People who take overdoses of paracetamol do not fall asleep or lose consciousness. You need to take her to emergency department and place her on paracetatmol overdosage mangement immediately. Regards Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D. Mumbai