Fear of taking paracetomal

[daisycake]

Silly yes but I find taking painkillers, and letting others take them, terrifying. Tonight my mum asked me to make her paracetomal (1000mg) soluble, so I took two 500mg tablets and spilt both, put about just over half the dose in the bucket. My mum then picked up the glass that she'd taken paracetomal in earlier and told me just to add the new mix to that, despite the glass still having a little bit of medicine at the bottom. I'm worried and scared she will overdose somehow but I don't know if that's possible, I don't know really what to do? If I tell her I'm worried she gets a bit frustrated and I don't want to fall out with her..

[pinkdove]

Hi don't worry paracetamol is very safe if taken every 4 hours and not in excess of 8 a day, your mum will be fine xx

[Carys]

Hiyer,

All advice is that the recommended dosage of paracetamol, for an adult, is two 500mg tablets every four to six hours. This should not exceed eight tablets in any 24 hour period. It sounds like your Mum is having the standard recommended dose ?

---------- Post added at 18:33 ---------- Previous post was at 18:32 ----------


I took two 500mg tablets and spilt both, put about just over half the dose in the bucketNot sure what you mean here, did she therefore only take 500mg and not 1000 mg ? what is the bucket ?

[daisycake]

Hiyer,

All advice is that the recommended dosage of paracetamol, for an adult, is two 500mg tablets every four to six hours. This should not exceed eight tablets in any 24 hour period. It sounds like your Mum is having the standard recommended dose ?

---------- Post added at 18:33 ---------- Previous post was at 18:32 ----------

Not sure what you mean here, did she therefore only take 500mg and not 1000 mg ? what is the bucket ?

Nah what I was meaning is I was meant to put 2 500mg tablets into a glass of water, but the glass she gave me already had a mouthful at the bottom of the last paracetomal mix. Bucket/bin - meaning that instead of giving her the full dose I snapped the tablets into bits and put some in the bucket, not sure exactly how much though.

[oneofus]

The max dosage on the packets is set below the danger level, but at the dose necessary to achieve the required effect in most of the population. Otherwise there would be a huge danger if you accidentally took one tablet too many, and it's the reason shops will only sell you a maximum number of paracetamol tablets at a time.

The extra dose left at the bottom of the glass is of little consequence.

One of us

[Carys]

Bucket/bin - meaning that instead of giving her the full dose I snapped the tablets into bits and put some in the bucket, not sure exactly how much though.

Yes, that is what I presumed, you threw some of it away and she didn't have the full dose of paracetamol ?

The trouble is, as an adult needing pain relief, often it is pointless to take less than 2 x 500 mg. You will find, for some conditions, that less than the full dose won't relieve the pain and you/your Mum will possibly need to take more sooner. I know that you have a fear of the medication having an overdose effect, but 2 x 500 mg tablets (and a scratching on the bottom of a glass) is the normal amount people take.