Vietnam Hospital Warns Public of Growing Paracetamol Abuse

Vietnam’s Poison Control Center at the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital has issued a warning about paracetamol poisoning among public, state media reported. Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen from the center said that paracetamol overdose led to poisoning and the risk of poisoning was high for self-medicated people who did not know how much was enough. People would have symptoms a few hours after overdose, such as losing appetite, nausea, sweating, and feeling tired, Mr. Nguyen said, adding that as the symptoms are non-specific, many people are unaware of their conditions until the occurrence of more serious, leading to late hospital admission. The doctor advised people to comply with appropriate dosages being prescribed by doctors. Normally, a Vietnamese adult should take no more than 2 grams per day or 3 grams is permissible in certain cases, Mr. Nguyen added. Earlier on September 12, the center admitted a 22-year-old patient suffering from paracetamol poisoning after having taken 19 tablets of paracetamol 500mg coupling with the fact that he had already contracted hepatitis B, which led to his death. (Vietnam News Agency, VietnamPlus Sept 13; VnExpress Sept 11)