The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases has just successfully received and treated Ms. M.N.T, 72 years old, in Hanoi, in a state of fatigue, weak limbs, and loss of autonomy. The patient was determined to have paracetamol poisoning due to self-dose of headache reliever.
According to the family, Ms. T has a history of diabetes for more than 10 years and is taking medication regularly. She often has headaches but many times of examination did not detect a specific disease, so she still bought medicine to take. Every time she had a headache, she took paracetamol and some brain-healthy drugs without a doctor's prescription.
Late on May 21, she suffered a severe headache and took a few paracetamol pills on her own. When the pain did not improve, she continued to drink more, a total of about 20 pills according to the family (not verified). About 30 minutes later, she had symptoms of weak limbs and loss of control of movement. The family discovered and took her to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for emergency care that night.
Fortunately, the patient was treated promptly, had his intestines washed and had no damage to the liver or other internal organs. Her health is now stable, she can eat and walk normally.
Doctor Tran Van Bac - Deputy Head of the Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases - said that paracetamol is a popular pain reliever and fever-reducing drug, safe if given in the right dosage. However, overuse or overdose can cause serious poisoning, especially liver damage, and even acute liver failure if not intervened promptly.
Doctors recommend that people should not arbitrarily use painkillers when the cause is unknown. Taking more tablets or combining drugs containing paracetamol can easily lead to overdose that users do not recognize. When there are signs of suspected poisoning such as nausea, fatigue, pain in the liver area, jaundice, confusion, need to go to a medical facility early. In particular, the elderly and patients with underlying diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and kidney disease should consult a doctor before taking any medication, including non-prescription drugs.
