Smaller packs against suicide

Smaller paracetamol packs may prevent overdose

02/08/2013

Painkillers with the active ingredient paracetamol are available in pharmacies in Germany only in smaller pack sizes without a prescription. It has been discussed for some time now that the transfer of funds to patients continues to be regulated as overdoses and deaths occur over and over again. A study by the University of Oxford in England found that smaller pack sizes between 1998 and 2009 caused 43 percent more suicides or unintentional paracetamol deaths.

Even small amounts of acetaminophen can lead to overdose
Paracetamol is an analgesic that is given in small doses to children, for example, in toothache for oral use. The agent is generally considered to be well tolerated. Nevertheless, the dosage of acetaminophen must be done with care, because an overdose leads to poisoning and liver damage. In the worst case, it ends fatally. The recommended daily maximum paracetamol for an adult is equivalent to three to four grams. But even small amounts can be dangerous. If a patient takes on toothpaste for a period of several consecutive days paracetamol, a health-threatening dose could be achieved, as the head of the poison emergency Erfurt, Helmut Hentschel informed. The specialist in pharmacology and toxicology therefore advocates a general prescription requirement for paracetamol.

With smaller paracetamol packs 43 percent fewer deaths
A research group from the University of Oxford in England has studied the effects of smaller pack sizes of paracetamol in the UK. Thus, the number of deaths from suicide or unintentional overdose of paracetamol fell by 43 percent between 1998 and 2009. Like the researchers in the journal „According to the British Medical Journal "(BMJ), the smaller package size scheme was introduced in 1998 for exactly this reason: since then, packs sold in pharmacies may contain a maximum of 32 tablets and non-pharmacy packs 16 tablets, and a conspicuous one until the new regime is introduced high number of deaths and liver transplants associated with paracetamol poisoning.

The researchers, however, are reluctant to comment on the success of the smaller packs. „Despite the obvious benefits, there are still a significant number of deaths averaging 121 per year due to paracetamol poisoning“, it says in an accompanying article to the study. „Researchers are proposing further measures to reduce the death rate, such as stricter enforcement, even smaller pack sizes and a possible reduction in the paracetamol content of the tablets“. (Ag)

Image: Sara Hegewald