BACKGROUND In Ireland, 30% of non-fatal overdoses involve paracetamol. AIMS To determine how and where patients obtained paracetamol, to assess awareness of toxicity and examine the relationship between dose and suicidal intent. METHODS A prospective study of patients admitted following a paracetamol overdose recording their reasons for using paracetamol, their knowledge of its toxicity and...

Paracetamol is a widely consumed antipyretic and analgesic agent used either in combination or as a single agent. The general safety of paracetamol in therapeutic dosage has allowed it to become a freely available over-the-counter preparation. A safety evaluation of nonnarcotic analgesics in therapeutic doses ranked paracetamol as among the safest in their study. Most patients are not asked or ...

Optimal pharmacotherapy is determined when the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug are understood. However, the age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well as the increased interindividual variation mean optimal dose selection are a challenge for prescribing in older adults. Poor understanding of how hepatic clearance and toxicity are different with age r...

OBJECTIVES Overdoses account for a quarter of all suicides in England. The number of people who survive the immediate effects of their overdose long enough to reach medical attention, but who subsequently die in hospital is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of overdose suicides dying in hospital and describe their sociodemographic characteristics. METHOD Cross sec...

The value of coagulation factor V and VIII/V levels as prognostic indicators was assessed in 27 patients with fulminant hepatic failure and compared with other predictive indices. Admission factor V levels were significantly reduced in 22 patients with paracetamol induced hepatic failure compared with a healthy control group (median 9.5% v 103%, respectively; p less than 0.001) and with lower v...