paracetamol
May. 12th, 2005 03:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baratronCan 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.
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.
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-14 05:04 am (UTC)It is a real shame about the asprin-derivative allergy because I found paracetamol didn't do anything useful for my period pain, aspirin itself makes me vomit, and ibuprofen is the wonder drug I pay homage to every month.
You are no doubt Different From Me, but I've found sleep, exercise, and water all help reduce period pain (particularly if I pay attention to those in the few days before the period itself), and eating less also helps: PMS chocolate and icecream cravings are not a good thing for me to indulge in, retrospectively.