paracetamol

[baratron]

Can anyone explain from where I absorbed the belief that taking a therapeutic dosage of Paracetamol will kill me horribly?

Paracetamol is a dangerous drug - yes. It causes horrible liver damage if misused. However, every single packet of the damn drug comes complete with the same warnings on the back:
1 to 2 tablets (500 mg - 1g) to be taken three or four times a day. Do not repeat the dose more frequently than every 4 hours. Maximum 8 tablets (4g) in 24 hours. Do not take for more than 3 days, unless your doctor agrees.

So by that token, I can take 1g of paracetamol every 5 hours I'm awake for the 3 days I have horrible period pain, and it shouldn't do me any harm at all.

So why do I think it will? and not take as many tablets as I should? and put up with the pain, even though period pain on top of my usual chronic pain pushes me from ok to irritable and miserable? It's not even as if paracetamol actually helps that much with the pain, but it's the only painkiller I can actually take - all aspirin derivatives are contraindicated for me, and codeine does terrible things to my gut.

Meh. Self-preservation instincts that lead to a failure to look after myself properly are just ... less than helpful.

Comments

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the idea that pain is the body's warning system, so I shouldn't ignore it is a lot of the reason I try not to take painkillers. However, when you suffer from a chronic pain condition, that isn't necessarily the case. I get pain from fairly ordinary mundane activities, and not as a sign of anything *new* being wrong at all. And period pain is absolutely not a warning system, it's just... exasperating. I'm at the stage now where between physical pain and headaches I end up having to take a day off work every single month because of my period, which is just silly.

I used to be able to stave off the worst of period pain by avoiding eating or drinking any acidic fruit (especially citrus fruits) for a couple of days in the month. That doesn't seem to work any more. I take raspberry leaf tablets (although I've heard the tea is better) and evening primrose oil, and it sort of helps. But the only drugs that actually gets rid of the pain completely are aspirin derivatives, which I can't take anymore owing to danger of death. Meh.