Painkiller acetaminophen more dangerous than expected

Painkiller: Dangers of paracetamol

28/10/2014

Back pain, headache, fever: Paracetamol is one of the analgesics most commonly used in this country. The drug is available over the counter in the pharmacy and does not cost much. For a long time, the remedy was considered harmless and is even prescribed for pregnant women. However, research results indicate health-threatening consequences of the drug.

Prescription and cheap drug
Paracetamol is high on the list of analgesics in Germany. Whether it is back pain, toothache or cluster headache: the product is always at hand in many households. In the pharmacy, it is available without a prescription and costs only a little. Even pregnant women are allowed to take it and for toddlers the medicine is available as a suppository. It has been known for some time that side effects such as liver failure or hypertension can threaten. Although the drug is now very controversial, millions of packs are still sold.

Expert has been calling for prescriptions for years
Professor Kay Brune from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is now vigorously warning of acetaminophen and even claims that it will only issue it by prescription on the basis of a broad-based investigation. He has been campaigning for years for paracetamol to be prescriptive, as Spiegel Online recently reported. Brune and his colleagues from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf have now compiled new research results in an analysis.

Serious consequences at high doses
It has long been known that the drug can increase the risk of stomach ulcers, heart attacks and strokes if the doses are too high. A few years ago the paracetamol package size had been limited as overdosing may lead to liver failure. However, from the point of view of Brune, this is not enough: as the article says, he continues to regard the matter of course with which the analgesic is taken as highly questionable. The authors of the study, who published their findings in the journal "European Journal of Pain", analyzed the side effects of paracetamol in recommended amounts of no more than four grams a day.

Studies from Sweden and Norway
According to a survey of 64,322 Danish mothers and their children born between 1996 and 2002, women who regularly take paracetamol during pregnancy have more often behaving or ADHD (attention deficit syndrome) children. However, the study does not prove that acetaminophen is actually responsible for this increased risk. Similar results were found in a Norwegian study with 48,631 children: they were diagnosed with hyperactivity and worse overall motor development and impaired communication behavior if their mothers had been taking acetaminophen for a longer period of time. The use of the painkiller ibuprofen during pregnancy, according to the researchers had, however, had no effect on the children.

Little benefit in headaches
According to press reports, the pain therapist Professor Hartmut Göbel agrees with Brune: According to this, it is suggested that paracetamol is the safest medication for pregnant women against pain. "However, the drug can pass through the placenta and affect the unborn life directly in its development," said the scientist from the pain clinic Kiel. Especially with head and limb pain, the benefits of paracetamol anyway low, as he writes on the website of the hospital. And for severe pain it is not effective. The doctor recommends ibuprofen during pregnancy, except in the last third.

Undescended testicles and asthma
Since February this year, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has been warning of skin reactions caused by paracetamol. As early as 2010, Brune had raised the alarm in an article in the "Ärztezeitung": "Paracetamol should no longer be available over the counter - also because it perpetuates the belief that it is a harmless, tolerable and harmless painkiller." The scientist pointed out in an article that the analgesic could possibly promote testicular elevation in newborns. In addition, the occurrence of asthma in babies whose mothers had consumed paracetamol during pregnancy, "significantly increased". "Paracetamol is obsolete," concludes Brune.

Health risk due to over-the-counter painkillers
Although current research is focused on paracetamol, it should not be overlooked that other over-the-counter painkillers pose a health risk. Many people think that these remedies are harmless remedies. According to estimates, "around 3.8 million Germans swallow analgesics every year". Often, the pills are taken without knowing how the preparations work or when their use is useful. In addition, all over-the-counter painkillers are generally considered to "take no more than three days in a row and not more than ten times a month", experts point out. Some doctors also recommend that you never take simple painkillers without medical advice. (Ad)