Every year, 250 Brits die from the most common painkiller on earth

UK pharmacists have issued a warning against the most common and popular painkiller in the world. Unaware of the harm that they could be doing to themselves, many people self prescribe this drug. Nearly 90,000 UK residents overdose on this painkiller each year. 

The pharmacist stated that the drug in question can be taken safely for headaches, fever and muscle pain if you follow the instructions. according The Sun

Dipa Kamdar is a senior lecturer at Kingston University who teaches pharmacy. She warned that “taking too many over-the counter painkillers, even slightly above the recommended dosage, can be dangerous to your liver”. The doctors then blame alcohol for liver damage. Kamdar revealed that while it’s not impossible for doctors to make this mistake, they don’t always do so.

“In fact, many everyday habits, often overlooked, can slowly cause damage that may eventually lead to serious conditions such as cirrhosis – permanent scarring of the liver – or liver failure,” the pharmacist wrote The Conversation

It can be caused by eating foods with high saturated fat and sugar, smoking, not exercising enough or, in the case of this article taking too many paracetamol.

“Despite its remarkable resilience – and even its ability to regenerate – the liver is not indestructible,” Dipa said.

Every year, 1,000 people die in the UK

One of the biggest challenges in liver disease is its ability to be a silent menace. “In its early stages, the disease may only cause vague symptoms like constant fatigue or sickness,” she said. “As damage progresses, more obvious signs may emerge. The most obvious is jaundice. This occurs when the skin and whites of your eyes become yellow.

In the UK, liver disease kills over 11,000 people each year. according The British Liver Trust

National Institute of Health studyParacetamol is overdosed by between 82,000 to 90,000. The abuse of paracetamol results in 150 to 250 deaths each year.

The study also states that there would be significantly more deaths if “the highly effective antidote acetylcysteine 12 (NAC), which is administered intravenously by using the same complex regime since the 1970s.”