It turns out that a supposedly harmless tablets of paracetamol (and containing the medication to relieve the symptoms, particularly the common cold) isn’t as safe.
“Today, paracetamol generally would not have received admission as a medicinal drug, even by prescription, not to mention the free market,” emphasizes Kai Brune, Professor of pharmacology, medical faculty of the University of Erlangen. “Even the permitted daily dose – four grams – can cause severe poisoning and liver damage, but only two-fold excess of the dose and is fraught with acute liver failure,” says Kai Brun, according to DW.
According to the scientist, only slightly better than acetaminophen and aspirin it also causes too many side reactions, so the drug is justified only for patients with serious cardiovascular disease, but not as a painkiller.
“Analgesic effect of acetylsalicylic acid lasts only a few hours, and the effect of blood thinners – a few days,” says Professor Bruno. – As a result patients who took the pill or two of aspirin can re-open and start bleeding just a prolonged scratch or, say, a wound in your mouth after a visit to the dentist. Such patients contraindicated for surgery, even if after the last administration of aspirin several days have passed. That is, taking aspirin means increased – and, as a rule, unjustifiable – risk of bleeding”.
An alternative to paracetamol and aspirin, according to doctors, may be diclofenac and ibuprofen. “Of course, these substances can cause harm, especially if taken for a long time and in high doses,” he says. – Among the possible side effects and high blood pressure, and gastric bleeding. After all, it’s still medicine, not candy. But in General, these substances are transferred much better than aspirin or paracetamol. The advantages of ibuprofen and diclofenac in the fact that they are quickly excreted, and therefore the risk of overdose is much lower and it is not dangerous for life”.
