As a consequence, the toxic product can damage the liver leading to liver failure, kidney failure, and in some cases death.

However, a small amount of the medicine is converted into a toxic product that the liver can normally handle but, when large amounts of paracetamol are taken, the liver is overwhelmed. Paracetamol once absorbed into the bloodstream goes to the liver where the majority is broken down to harmless products.

The agents include activated charcoal (that binds paracetamol together in the stomach), gastric lavage (stomach washout to remove as much paracetamol as possible), or ipecacuanha (a syrup that is swallowed and causes vomiting (being sick)). These interventions include decreasing the absorption of the paracetamol ingested and hence decreasing the amount absorbed into the bloodstream. There are many different interventions that can be used to try to treat people with paracetamol poisoning. Study characteristics: randomised clinical trials (studies where people are randomly put into one of two or more treatment groups) where participants had come to medical attention because they had taken a paracetamol overdose, intentionally or by accident, regardless of the amount of paracetamol taken or the age, sex, or other medical conditions of the person involved. Search date: the evidence is current to January 2017. Intentional or accidental poisoning with paracetamol is a common cause of liver injury. Mainly, we tried to assess what effects the interventions had on the number of deaths and the need for a liver transplant.īackground: paracetamol is one of the most common drugs taken in overdose. Review question: in this review, we looked at the evidence for the interventions (treatments) used to treat people with paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning.

Antidote for acetaminophen toxicity