Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a pain reliever and a fever reducer. Paracetamol is used to treat many conditions such as headache, muscle aches, arthritis, backache, toothaches, colds, and fevers.
Paracetamol Side effects
Cardiovascular disease
Beside efficacy of paracetamol ,this drug linked to increase cardiovascular risk .
Gastrointestinal (GI) effects
At high dose paracetamol increase risk of upper GI complications.
GI bleeding
Paracetamol has long been considered the ‘safe’ analgesic alternative to NSAID's in patients prone to GI bleeding. In studies of the analgesic effects of NSAID's it is commonly used as a comparator, owing to the ethical issues of withholding analgesia .
Hepatotoxicity
Over the past few decades, there have been several case reports and small studies implying a connection between the ingestion of therapeutic doses of paracetamol and liver injury . Paracetamol at high single dose causes liver injury by toxic metabolites.
Renal effects
Acute kidney injury is said to occur in 1–2% of patients in paracetamol overdose . and most commonly occurs in the setting of severe paracetamol‐induced hepatotoxicity .Renal biopsy, while not often performed, shows evidence of acute tubular necrosis, particularly of the proximal tubule .Paracetamol causes acute and chronic renal failure.
Pregnancy
Paracetamol is administered to pregnant women as an antipyretic agent and for the management of mild‐to‐moderate pain. The presumed safety of this agent has resulted in paracetamol becoming one of the most common prescriptions in pregnancy: ~50–60% of pregnant women in North and Western Europe self‐report using this medication .When pregnant woman take paracetamol this will cause possible long term side effects on developing fetus.