7 ms·

I too come from a country where this is called paracetamol, and here too, over the counter usage is very common. I'm surprised more people are not worried about

by hliyan 6y ago

I too come from a country where this is called paracetamol, and here too, over the counter usage is very common. I'm surprised more people are not worried about the alcohol interaction.

lucb1e 6y ago
In Germany they always (n=2) act surprised when I ask for more than a single box. I don't even take it myself, my girlfriend uses one dose (usually 2x0.5g before going to sleep) maybe every tenth day or so; I myself might use it once a year. But the stuff lasts for years and I don't fancy running out or not having some with me when I (or someone near me) needs it, so we just buy it in bulk and replace when empty or after the expiry has sufficiently passed. I get a lecture from the apothecary every time. Does nobody else buy ahead, especially in the pandemic?
- code-is-code 6y ago
  They just want to protect you from yourself, do not take it personal.
  - lucb1e 6y ago
    I don't really, and I am polite and do thank them for the info they give / the concern they express. It just surprises me a little that they don't consider this normal.
- DominikPeters 6y ago
  In the UK, paracetamol and ibuprofen are sold in supermarkets, but you're limited to buying two packs of 16 pills per visit. Of course, you can easily build up a stash over time.
  - cmckn 6y ago
    That’s really interesting. I have a bottle of probably 300 acetominophen caplets from Costco, it’s my go-to hangover cure. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are incredibly common in the US.
    - DominikPeters 6y ago
      Yeah, US bottles seem crazy to me, for drugs where overdose is lethal. I think the theory behind the UK pack size restriction is that suicide attempts are often spontaneous, so it's life-saving not to have a lethal amount in the house. Also, accidentally popping hundreds of pills out of the blister packaging (rather than a bottle) is pretty unlikely. The restrictions seem to work, with a 40% reduction in paracetamol-related deaths: https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/smaller-paracetamol-packs-may-have-reduced-deaths/ https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/smaller-paracetamol-packs...
      - fallingfrog 6y ago
        What’s really funny is that if you go to Amsterdam, you can get paracetamol in a quick dissolving pill that works much faster than the really hard ones you get in the states, but it’s in a bubble package and fewer doses so it’s harder to commit suicide with. But in the states you only get the hard pills, which are harder to crush and use to make illicit drugs out of, but in unlimited amounts. So.. we don’t care if you kill yourselves, as long as you don’t have any fun doing it?
        Arubis 6y ago
        > we don’t care if you kill yourselves, as long as you don’t have any fun doing it? This is actually a good summary. As mentioned in sibling threads, most pharmaceuticals that could potentially be enjoyable are formulated stateside in combination with things that will either make you feel terrible or outright kill you at high enough doses.
    - tasty_freeze 6y ago
      I'd say if you need that much tylenol for your hangovers, the alcohol consumption is a far bigger worry than the side effects of the tylenol.
      - hombre_fatal 6y ago
        You're missing the necessary information to make that assumption. Though the temptation to judge others is an inherent human trait of sanctimony. I bought a massive sack of kosher salt because it was a good deal. It's a stupid amount. Doesn't mean I overdose on salt with every meal, it's going to last me a long, long time. Might become a family heirloom. You'd be silly to lecture me about salt intake.
  - sergers 6y ago
    In Canada don't think there is a limit. I buy Costco's kirkland branded acetaminophen and ibuprofen. it's like 500 pills in a 2 pack, 500mg pills (extra strength) like every 1-2 years You can purchase over the counter, most grocery stores and gas stations carry it. Pick it up at the "dollar mart" too. I was taking 2000mg of each at the same time, for bad tooth pain for a week.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
pessimizer 6y ago
It's the #1 cause of acute liver failure in the US, I always find it shocking that the British take it like we take aspirin.
- Spooky23 6y ago
  The issue with it is that people unknowingly take does. You may pop a Tylenol for a fever, then take it again in your NyQuil and not realize it. It’s a well tested and safe drug. Both aspirin and ibuprofen have significant risks if used daily. Aspirin causes stomach bleeding, and ibuprofen causes significant kidney issues over time.
  - aarongolliver 6y ago
    For this reason I try my hardest to buy single-active-ingredient versions of everything. I can keep a list of what pill combos combine into nyquil/mucinex/whatever, and can avoid doubling up on anything unintentionally.
    - jiggawatts 6y ago
      It drove me crazy that in Japan OTC painkillers had a minimum of 4 active ingredients and up to 6 in one case. I could not find any that did not contain caffeine, for example. The pharmacist explained that caffeine reduces headaches. Well that's great, but I didn't have a headache, I had muscle aches, and I was trying to sleep. He looked at me like I was crazy.
      - dragonwriter 6y ago
        > The pharmacist explained that caffeine reduces headaches. Also, IIRC, caffeine specifically has been identified to help with migraines, not headaches more generally.
        karlerss 6y ago
        My headaches (and I guess many others) are often caused by caffeine withdrawal. Taking caffeine without a painkiller usually solves the problem.
DominikPeters 6y ago
In the UK, the NHS advice for anything mildly painful is "take paracetamol or ibuprofen" (e.g. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold/), so they must judge the risk at typical doses as very low.

by hliyan 6y ago

I too come from a country where this is called paracetamol, and here too, over the counter usage is very common. I'm surprised more people are not worried about the alcohol interaction.

lucb1e 6y ago

In Germany they always (n=2) act surprised when I ask for more than a single box. I don't even take it myself, my girlfriend uses one dose (usually 2x0.5g before going to sleep) maybe every tenth day or so; I myself might use it once a year. But the stuff lasts for years and I don't fancy running out or not having some with me when I (or someone near me) needs it, so we just buy it in bulk and replace when empty or after the expiry has sufficiently passed. I get a lecture from the apothecary every time. Does nobody else buy ahead, especially in the pandemic?

code-is-code 6y ago
They just want to protect you from yourself, do not take it personal.
- lucb1e 6y ago
  I don't really, and I am polite and do thank them for the info they give / the concern they express. It just surprises me a little that they don't consider this normal.
DominikPeters 6y ago
In the UK, paracetamol and ibuprofen are sold in supermarkets, but you're limited to buying two packs of 16 pills per visit. Of course, you can easily build up a stash over time.
- cmckn 6y ago
  That’s really interesting. I have a bottle of probably 300 acetominophen caplets from Costco, it’s my go-to hangover cure. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are incredibly common in the US.
  - DominikPeters 6y ago
    Yeah, US bottles seem crazy to me, for drugs where overdose is lethal. I think the theory behind the UK pack size restriction is that suicide attempts are often spontaneous, so it's life-saving not to have a lethal amount in the house. Also, accidentally popping hundreds of pills out of the blister packaging (rather than a bottle) is pretty unlikely. The restrictions seem to work, with a 40% reduction in paracetamol-related deaths: https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/smaller-paracetamol-packs-may-have-reduced-deaths/ https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/smaller-paracetamol-packs...
    - fallingfrog 6y ago
      What’s really funny is that if you go to Amsterdam, you can get paracetamol in a quick dissolving pill that works much faster than the really hard ones you get in the states, but it’s in a bubble package and fewer doses so it’s harder to commit suicide with. But in the states you only get the hard pills, which are harder to crush and use to make illicit drugs out of, but in unlimited amounts. So.. we don’t care if you kill yourselves, as long as you don’t have any fun doing it?
      - Arubis 6y ago
        > we don’t care if you kill yourselves, as long as you don’t have any fun doing it? This is actually a good summary. As mentioned in sibling threads, most pharmaceuticals that could potentially be enjoyable are formulated stateside in combination with things that will either make you feel terrible or outright kill you at high enough doses.
  - tasty_freeze 6y ago
    I'd say if you need that much tylenol for your hangovers, the alcohol consumption is a far bigger worry than the side effects of the tylenol.
    - hombre_fatal 6y ago
      You're missing the necessary information to make that assumption. Though the temptation to judge others is an inherent human trait of sanctimony. I bought a massive sack of kosher salt because it was a good deal. It's a stupid amount. Doesn't mean I overdose on salt with every meal, it's going to last me a long, long time. Might become a family heirloom. You'd be silly to lecture me about salt intake.
- sergers 6y ago
  In Canada don't think there is a limit. I buy Costco's kirkland branded acetaminophen and ibuprofen. it's like 500 pills in a 2 pack, 500mg pills (extra strength) like every 1-2 years You can purchase over the counter, most grocery stores and gas stations carry it. Pick it up at the "dollar mart" too. I was taking 2000mg of each at the same time, for bad tooth pain for a week.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

pessimizer 6y ago

It's the #1 cause of acute liver failure in the US, I always find it shocking that the British take it like we take aspirin.

Spooky23 6y ago
The issue with it is that people unknowingly take does. You may pop a Tylenol for a fever, then take it again in your NyQuil and not realize it. It’s a well tested and safe drug. Both aspirin and ibuprofen have significant risks if used daily. Aspirin causes stomach bleeding, and ibuprofen causes significant kidney issues over time.
- aarongolliver 6y ago
  For this reason I try my hardest to buy single-active-ingredient versions of everything. I can keep a list of what pill combos combine into nyquil/mucinex/whatever, and can avoid doubling up on anything unintentionally.
  - jiggawatts 6y ago
    It drove me crazy that in Japan OTC painkillers had a minimum of 4 active ingredients and up to 6 in one case. I could not find any that did not contain caffeine, for example. The pharmacist explained that caffeine reduces headaches. Well that's great, but I didn't have a headache, I had muscle aches, and I was trying to sleep. He looked at me like I was crazy.
    - dragonwriter 6y ago
      > The pharmacist explained that caffeine reduces headaches. Also, IIRC, caffeine specifically has been identified to help with migraines, not headaches more generally.
      - karlerss 6y ago
        My headaches (and I guess many others) are often caused by caffeine withdrawal. Taking caffeine without a painkiller usually solves the problem.

DominikPeters 6y ago

In the UK, the NHS advice for anything mildly painful is "take paracetamol or ibuprofen" (e.g. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold/), so they must judge the risk at typical doses as very low.