Overview

• Most people aged 16 and over can take paracetamol, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but five groups should seek advice: anyone with a prior allergy, liver or kidney problems, certain concurrent medicines, heavy alcohol use, or a body weight under 50 kg.
• Standard adult dosing is two 500 mg tablets up to four times in 24 hours with at least four hours between doses, not exceeding eight tablets per day.
• People are advised not to take two medicines that both contain paracetamol because combining products increases the risk of overdose.
• Clinicians advise checking for interactions: consult a doctor if taking warfarin or medicines for epilepsy or tuberculosis, while ibuprofen, aspirin or codeine may be taken if the other product does not contain paracetamol.
• A University of Nottingham study of people aged 65 and over reported associations between prolonged prescribed use and higher rates of heart failure, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers and chronic kidney disease, prompting calls to reconsider first‑line long‑term prescribing for older adults.