Have i taken too much paracetomol in two hours?

Question

Hiya, i just need some quick medical advice!! I have got the flu quite bad with a cough, severe tiredness, nausea and severe headaches, the sniffles, the works really!

I was in alot of pain so I took 2 paracetomol tablets (each containing 500mg) and then one tablet of Co-codamol (which is 500ml of paracetomol and 30mg of codeine)

Ive taken 1500mg of paracetomol and 30mg of codeine in under 2 hours. Is this too much??

i was wondering what the dose is? I got rather concerned after reading a leaflet from the paracetamol packet that you should not take any other paracetomol related tablets.

However i dont feel any side effects.

Please could someone tell me the dosage and whether it is possible to mix tabets if under this dosage?

Please could you reply as soon as you can!!

Thanks, Helen Louise x

Answer 1

You are well below the toxic dose but wise to be cautious.:

Toxic dose
The toxic dose of paracetamol is highly variable. In adults, single doses above 10 grams or 150 mg/kg have a reasonable likelihood of causing toxicity.[7] Toxicity can also occur when multiple smaller doses within 24 hours exceeds these levels, or even with chronic ingestion of doses as low as 4 g/day, and death with as little as 6 g/day.

In children acute doses above 200 mg/kg could potentially cause toxicity. This higher threshold is largely due to children having relatively larger kidneys and livers than adults and hence being more tolerant of paracetamol overdose than adults.[8] Acute paracetamol overdose in children rarely causes illness or death with chronic supratherapeutic doses being the major cause of toxicity in children.

Since paracetamol is often included in combination with other drugs, it is important to include all sources of paracetamol when checking a person's dose for toxicity. In addition to being sold by itself, paracetamol may be included in the formulations of various analgesics and cold/flu remedies as a way to increase the pain-relieving properties of the medication. To prevent overdoses, one should read medication labels carefully for the presence of paracetamol and check with a pharmacist before using over-the-counter medications.

Paracetamol OD is not nice read the link below fo details:

Answer 2

Paracetamol is okay with ibuprofen and cocodomol, the problem is you took cocodomol/paracetamol along with a standard dose of paracetamol, this is over the dose that you should have taken, however please do not panic you will be okay, children going to operating theatre can take double dose of paracetamol, just make sure you do not take any further paracetamol for a further 6 hours at least take some ibuprofen that will help in between times. And dont worry

Answer 3

Paracetamol needs to reach saturation level in your blood. My doctor told me to take two paracetamol (500mg each) and then if I was still in pain in half and hour to take another one and then no more for 6 hours. You shouldn't take more than 4000mg in any 24 hour period.

You've pretty much taken three paracetamol tablets and a bit of codeine. If you don't have anything else with paracetamol in it for the next 6 hours, you should be fine.

Answer 4

The toxic dose of paracetamol is highly variable. You should not exceed 4000 mg/ml in any given 24 hour period. If you are taking this much you should also avoid alcohol consumption because paracetamol is toxic to the liver and alcohol will intensify this effect. as long as you stay under the dosage of 4000 mg per 24 hours you should be fine.

Answer 5

If this all you have taken and it is a one off then you should be fine .you should not take more than 8 x 500mcg in a 24 hr period.you dont feel unwell with an overdose of paracetamol it works on the liver so two to three days before there are any effects evident,but there should not be any with the amount yuve taken

Answer 6

Max dose of paracetemol is 1g every 4 hours, thats 2 500mg tablets so yes you have taken too much.
Ring NHs direct if you are worried, and dont take anymore for a few hours!

Answer 7

Yes the dose of paracetamol is 1000mg in 4 hours and no more than 4000mg in a 24 hr period. Phone NHS direct fror advice.

Answer 8

more that 2 paracetimol in 4 hours is too much tho with only 3 u should be ok but consult nhs 24 if ur worried

Answer 9

Yes! Ring NHS Direct now. Next time read the leaflets that come with medication before taking the medication.

Answer 10

Paracetamol in overdose affects the liver. I do think you should get checked out, but dont worry if you are fit and healthy you should be able to metabolise the excess.