Reducing paracetamol overdoses

More likely to succeed through public education than package labelling

Medicines containing paracetamol (acetaminophen) are the commonest cause of intentional drug overdose in Britain1 2 3 4 and are increasingly implicated elsewhere in Europe3 and the United States. Around 70 000 cases of paracetamol overdose occur annually in Britain, and numbers are growing.4 Fortunately, death from overdose is rare—about 200 cases a year in Britain—against a remarkable safety record of 30 million packs containing paracetamol sold each year.1 2 3 4 Hospital resources have been concentrated on trying to anticipate the few patients most likely to develop serious liver injury after overdose5 6 since many deaths are preventable by early intervention, including treatment with the antidote N-acetylcysteine.5 6 A bigger problem, however, is how to predict who is going to take an overdose and how to stop them.

Last month, Britain's Medicines Control Agency launched a programme of consultation on the availability of solid dose analgesics, including paracetamol.7 The aim is to reinforce …