If you take more than the recommended amount (an overdose), it can harm the liver, and occasionally the kidneys. The medical team will assess you. Based on the information that you give them and the results of your blood tests, they will decide if you need treatment to reduce the chance of damage to your liver.
As for Paracetamol of 500mg per tablet, it is generally recommended to take no more than 8 tablets (500mg) within 24 hours, and 24 to 30 tablets taken at one time can lead to overdose or even death. Not sufficient time between doses or high amount of tablets taken at one time may lead to a fatal overdose.
However, repeatedly taking more than the recommended dose or overdosing on paracetamol can cause serious injury to the liver and even death. The recommended maximum dose of paracetamol for an adult (or child over 12 years) is 4g in any 24-hour period (equivalent to 8 x 500mg tablets).
Taking 1 or 2 extra tablets is unlikely to harm you. Do not take more than 8 tablets in 24 hours. Taking too much paracetamol can be dangerous and you may need treatment. Too much paracetamol can cause liver damage.
This refers to excessive ingestion of paracetamol over a period longer than one hour, usually in the context of self-harm. Serious toxicity may occur in patients who have ingested > 150 mg/kg in any 24 hour period. Rarely, toxicity may occur for ingestions between 75-150 mg/kg.
If you take too much
Taking 1 or 2 extra tablets is unlikely to harm you. Do not take more than 8 tablets in 24 hours. Taking too much paracetamol can be dangerous and you may need treatment. Too much paracetamol can cause liver damage.
Abdominal (stomach) pain, nausea, vomiting (sickness). Yellow discoloration of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice). Severe headache, confusion or drowsiness. Passing no urine at all for the past eight hours.
Just a few paracetamol tablets over the recommended dose can potentially cause fatal liver damage, and there may be no symptoms until it is too late for treatment to help. There is an antidote for paracetamol poisoning and it is most effective within eight hours of the overdose, so getting help early is essential.
There may be no symptoms for the first day. A feeling of sickness (nausea) and being sick (vomiting) may occur a few hours after taking the overdose. After 24 hours there may be pain under the ribs on the right side (where the liver is) and there may be yellowing of the whites of the eyes and the skin (jaundice).
Acetylcysteine IV (N-acetylcysteine, Parvolex®, NAC) is the treatment of choice. It has near 100% efficacy in preventing paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity if given within the first 8 hours from ingestion of overdose. It may also be effective up to and possibly beyond 24 hours.
Paracetamol is a common painkiller that is normally safe. If you take more than the recommended amount (an overdose), it can harm the liver, and occasionally the kidneys. The medical team will assess you.
Talk to a doctor at once if you take too much of this medicine even if you feel well. This is because too much paracetamol can cause delayed, serious liver damage.
Taking more than five medications is called polypharmacy. The risk of harmful effects, drug interactions and hospitalizations increase when you take more medications.
Use of any medicine always carries some chance of unwanted side effects. The most common side effects of paracetamol are: drowsiness and tiredness.
Taking more, especially 7,000 mg or more, can lead to a severe overdose problems. If you have liver or kidney disease, you should discuss the use of this drug with your health care provider.
HEPATOTOXICITY RISK FACTORS
While acute liver injury can occur when used at or below the recommended daily maximum dose (4000 mg)[4], paracetamol toxicity is often the result of ingestion of paracetamol over this maximum dose.
Taking too much paracetamol, known as an overdose, can be very dangerous. If you've taken more than the recommended maximum dose, go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department as soon as possible. It can be helpful to take any remaining medicine and the box or leaflet with you to A&E if you can.
If levels exceed the above paracetamol can cause liver damage (hepatotoxicity) if you take larger doses than recommended. Adults must not take more than 4000 mg in a 24-hour period.
Paracetamol toxicity is one of the most common causes of poisoning worldwide. In the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, paracetamol is the most common cause of drug overdoses.
Paracetamol poisoning, when associated with exceptionally high plasma concentrations, can give rise to coma and metabolic acidosis in the absence of hepatic failure or other drugs. Although unusual, other such presentations may not have been recognized because a toxicology screen was not performed.
The more meds you take, the higher the risk of harmful drug interactions. Having multiple meds in your system can cause them to work differently than they're supposed to—and may even make them less effective.
A person's condition can deteriorate rapidly during an overdose, so seeking emergency help is always recommended — even if they do not appear to be severely overdosing. If you or someone you know is using a specific drug, you should be familiar with the overdose symptoms of that drug.
Untreated paracetamol poisoning may cause varying degrees of liver injury over the 2 to 4 days following ingestion, including fulminant hepatic failure. Rarely, massive overdose may initially present with coma and severe metabolic acidosis.