Side effects

Paracetamol can cause side effects, but these do not necessarily occur in everyone. Every person reacts differently to medication. Rarely does paracetamol lead to a change in blood values, which means that in rare cases an increase in liver enzymes can be found in the laboratory.

Very rarely other changes occur in the laboratory, such as a lack of platelets, a lack of white blood cells, a lack of certain white blood cells (the granulocytes) or even a lack of all blood cells. Very rarely, severe skin reactions can occur, such as Stevens-Johnsons syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis or an acute general pustular rash. Hypersensitivity reactions can occur as a side effect of any medication, including: a simple reddening of the skin to hives, swelling of the larynx, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, drop in blood pressure and allergic shock.

In case of such severe side effects, therapy must be discontinued. Particularly sensitive people may experience bronchial spasms, the so-called analgesic asthma, which is caused by painkillers. It is important to note that an overdose of paracetamol can cause severe liver damage. When taken over a long period of time and in higher doses, paracetamol can cause headaches, tiredness and nervousness. If the drug is taken for a long time and suddenly discontinued, muscle pain may be caused.

Interactions

If paracetamol is taken at the same time as the gout medication Probenecid, the excretion of paracetamol is reduced, so it has a longer effect. In this case the dose of paracetamol should be reduced. Taking the anti-inflammatory drug salicylamide together with paracetamol may cause paracetamol to remain in the body longer and accumulate.Some sleeping pills and antiepileptic drugs, such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine and rifampicin, and alcohol promote the breakdown of paracetamol into a toxic metabolic product.

This means that paracetamol in combination with these drugs can become toxic to the liver even in low doses. If paracetamol is taken for more than a week, it increases the effect of blood thinners (anticoagulants). In contrast, an occasional intake of paracetamol has no effect on blood thinning.

Taking paracetamol and the AIDS drug zidovudine sometimes leads to the development of a deficiency of certain white blood cells, the neutrophil granulocytes. Therefore paracetamol should only be taken in combination with this active substance after medical advice. The drug colesryramine (therapy of fat metabolism disorders) reduces the absorption of paracetamol into the body and its effect.