THE RISKS OF INDISCRIMINATE AND IRRATIONAL USE OF PARACETAMOL

• Autor(a) principal: Ribeiro, Beatriz Vannier
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: de Andrade, Leonardo Guimarães, Rinaldi Neto, Sebastian
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences
• Texto Completo: https://bjihs.emnuvens.com.br/bjihs/article/view/349
• topic: Automedicação. Hepatotoxicidade. N-acetil-cisteína. Paracetamol; Hepatotoxicity. N-acetylcysteine. Paracetamol. Self-medication

Paracetamol also known as acetaminophen is a drug used as an analgesic and antipyretic, that is, for cases of pain (mild and moderate) and fever. It is an over-the-counter, low-cost drug. Hepatotoxicity occurs when administered in the indiscriminate and irrational use of paracetamol, with doses higher than   recommended, being one of the main causes of liver failure and overdose. The objective of this study is to present the risks of indiscriminate and irrational use of paracetamol and to point out the therapeutic measures in the treatment of intoxication, which will depend on the time of ingestion and understand the pharmacological and toxicological mechanisms of the drug. There are specific antidotes for this treatment, such as gastric lavage and/or activated charcoal and the most used N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), replenishing glutathione (GSH) reserves by neutralizing (NAPQI) N-acetyl-p-benzoquinonamine. The method used for this research was through data collected from scientific articles (academic Google and Scielo). Information was added through official websites of ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) and CRF-SP (Regional Council of Pharmacy of São Paulo. The inclusion materials in this work were those that were available on access platforms, articles published between the years 2014 to 2022, in Portuguese and English. Self- medication is the main factor responsible for health problems, leading to the indiscriminate and irrational use of medicines, including of paracetamol, having several cases of intoxication by high doses, the guidance of the health professional is essential to reduce this situation.