NAFDAC Exposes Dangers Of Prolonged Use Of Paracetamol

The National Agency for Food Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the
United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has said that the regular use of
painkillers especially, paracetamols could
lead to heart attacks, stroke and early death,
The Guardian reports.

According to a study published in the Annals
of the Rheumatic Diseases journal, patients
prescribed high doses of the painkiller for
long periods were 63% more likely to die
unexpectedly.

There is also a 68% higher chance of having
a heart attack or stroke and an almost 50%
greater chance of having a stomach ulcer or
bleed.

Generally, Paracetamol is considered by
doctors to be safer than Aspirin, which can
cause stomach bleeds, and ibuprofen, which
has also been linked to heart attacks and
strokes.

But in 2013, NAFDAC and the United States
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had
alerted Nigerians that Paracetamol had been
associated with risk of rare but serious skin
reactions known as Stevens-Johnson
Syndrome (SJS), Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis
(TEN), and Acute Generalised Exanthematous
Pustulosis (AGEP) which can be fatal.

To this end, NAFDAC encouraged patients to
report such cases to their health care
provider, who will channel the complaint to
the National Pharmacovigilance Centre, even
as British researchers say the risks may have
been underestimated and are calling for a
major review to be conducted into the drug’s
safety.

Meanwhile, Philip Conaghan who led an
extensive research conducted on patients
who took Paracetamol daily observing its
effects advised that patients being prescribed
the drugs for long periods for arthritis or
muscle and joint pain should talk to their
doctors about alternative treatments, such as
exercise.