The center recorded 1,274 calls for poisoning with this drug in 2024 concerning children under 15 years old (compared to 1,165 in 2023). “Children under 14 are at greater risk of exposure to paracetamol and there are many more calls for children this year. It is not necessarily a deliberate overdose, but rather a cold January (cold, flu, etc.). We received an average of 7.2 calls per day for paracetamol last year, more in January (winter)“, adds the Center. “Paracetamol is a very common medicine, it is not surprising that we receive a lot of calls for this product. This is the product for which we receive the most calls, already 105 this year.”
Paracetamol can be fatal in case of overdose
20, 50, 80 pills… Paracetamol is a safe medication provided you respect the dosage. “An adult can take 1g/day three times and for a child, it depends on their weight. Excessive dose can completely destroy the liver and require a transplant. You turn yellow, there is no more blood clotting and this can lead to brain pain. Depending on the dose ingested, it is fatal if there is no possible recovery of the liver and the patient does not have a liver transplant within 48-72 hours.”explains Etienne Sokal, pediatrician and liver specialist at the Saint-Luc university clinics. “In the UK, it’s a fairly common way of committing suicide, but we’re going to suffer a lot.”
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The Poison Control Center can be contacted directly and free of charge on the number 070/245.245.
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