How Safe is Your Panadol?
Did you know your common over-the-counter medications can have dangerous effects?
When I took my covid-19 vaccine, the instructions were clear — do not use Acetaminophen, you can only use Ibuprofen. The pharmacist made sure to repeat that a few times like I had been deaf of hearing. In Nigeria, Paracetamol/Panadol is the first drug of choice for literally any ailment. Panadol is the brand name for Acetaminophen! In other words, it would have been wrong of me to use Panadol. This distinction is the reason why it’s really important that we seek guidance before taking any medications.
The use of drugs without the guidance of a doctor, in a country where the wait time to see a doctor can be very long and out of pocket fees to go to a good hospital is very expensive, is very commonplace. Most people have cabinets full of medicines that they take when they have most common ailments like a headache, fever, tummy ache and more — but often are not aware that there are some dangers associated with taking any medicines. These dangers are not always evident on the box of the meds and if you are like me, you do not ever read the pamphlet with all the precautions.
Using non-prescription (over-the-counter medicines) occasionally and properly presents a low risk of any adverse effects. However, some people are at greater risk and the effectiveness of such medicines are dependent on certain factors — age, bodyweight, amount and type of other medicines being used etc. At the very least you should speak to a pharmacist to learn how to use your over-the-counter (OTC) medications due to adverse effects such as
· side effects
· drug-drug interactions
· food-drug interactions
· allergic reactions
Let’s use Panadol as a good example to explain these adverse effects often overlooked with over-the-counter medications
Side-Effects: As with all drugs, even over the counter meds have side effects. Nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, trouble falling asleep are common side effects of Panadol. If you are like me, you never knew this because you have never read the instruction pamphlets in a pack of Panadol. Acetaminophen which is in Panadol is also in many medications and that can mean you are accidentally taking way too much of it which can cause you to have any of these side effects. Those with liver and kidney diseases are especially cautioned about their use of Panadol.
Drug-drug interactions: There are a total of 116 drugs known to interact with Panadol. Blood thinner drugs like Warfarin, seizure medications like Lamotrigine or Phenytoin, tuberculosis medications like Rifampin or Isoniazid and certain vaccines are common medications that interact with Panadol. An interaction does not mean you need to stop taking your medications but telling your doctor/pharmacist that you use Panadol will better help them know how the drug interactions can be managed.
Food — drug interactions: Any kind of alcohol combined with Panadol can cause liver and kidney disease and gastrointestinal bleeding. If you are a regular drinker who experiences hangovers, you should definitely not be using Panadol to treat the headaches.
Allergic reactions: Often very rare, some people can develop an allergic reaction to Panadol. Acetaminophen can trigger three serious skin reactions — Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis both usually require hospitalization and can be lethal while the third, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis usually resolves within two weeks after a patient stops taking acetaminophen.
While over-the-counter medications can be convenient and mostly safe, please take caution by speaking to your pharmacist/doctor before using them especially if your symptoms have lasted more than three days.
