Paracetamol 500mg Tablets
SUMMARY OF PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
1 NAME OF THE MEDICINAL PRODUCT
Paracetamol 500mg Tablets
2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION
Each tablet contains Paracetamol 500.0 mg
This medicinal product contains 0.007 mmol of sodium per dose. To be taken into consideration by patients on a controlled sodium diet.
For excipients, see 6.1.
3 PHARMACEUTICAL FORM
Tablets
White capsule shaped tablets marked with ‘PARA 500’ on one side and M+ on the other side.
4 CLINICAL PARTICULARS
4.1 Therapeutic indications
Paracetamol 500mg Tablets is a mild analgesic and antipyretic and is recommended for the treatment of most painful and febrile conditions, for example headaches, including migraine and tension headaches, toothache, backache, rheumatic and muscle pains, dysmenorrhoea, sore throat and for relieving the fever, aches and pains of colds and flu. Also recommended for the symptomatic relief of pain due to non-serious arthritis.
4.2 Posology and method of administration
Adults
Two tablets every 4 hours to a maximum of 8 tablets in 24 hours. Children
Optimised Paracetamol Dosing for Paediatric Patients:
|
Age |
Recommended Dose |
500mg tablet dose |
How Often |
|
6-8 years |
240-250mg |
Half |
Every 4-6 hours when necessary to a maximum of 4 doses in 24 hours |
|
8-10 years |
360-375mg |
Half - three quarters |
Every 4-6 hours when necessary to a maximum of 4 doses in 24 hours |
|
10-12 years |
480-500mg |
One |
Every 4-6 hours when necessary to a maximum of 4 doses in 24 hours |
|
12-15 years |
480-750mg |
One - One & half |
Every 4-6 hours when necessary to a maximum of 4 doses in 24 hours |
Not suitable for children under six years of age. Children should not be given Paracetamol 500mg Tablets for more than 3 days without consulting a doctor. Oral administration only.
4.3 Contraindications
Hypersensitivity to paracetamol or any of the other constituents.
4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use
Care is advised in the administration of paracetamol to patients with renal or hepatic impairment. The hazard of overdose is greater in those with noncirrhotic alcoholic liver disease.
Do not exceed the stated dose.
Patients should be advised to consult their doctor if their headaches become persistent.
Patients should be advised not to take other paracetamol-containing products concurrently.
Patients should be advised to consult a doctor if they suffer from non-serious arthritis and need to take painkillers every day.
If symptoms persist consult your doctor.
Keep out of the reach and sight of children.
Pack Label:
Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose, even if you feel well.
Do not take with any other paracetamol-containing products.
Patient Information Leaflet:
Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage.
4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interactions
The speed of absorption of paracetamol may be increased by metoclopramide or domperidone and absorption reduced by colestyramine. The anticoagulant effect of warfarin and other coumarins may be enhanced by prolonged regular daily use of paracetamol with increased risk of bleeding; occasional doses have no significant effect.
4.6 Pregnancy and lactation
Pregnancy
Epidemiological studies in human pregnancy have shown no ill effects due to paracetamol used in the recommended dosage, but patients should follow the advice of their doctor regarding its use.
Breastfeeding
Paracetamol is excreted in breast milk but not in a clinically significant amount. Available published data do not contraindicate breast feeding.
4.7 Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Paracetamol has no influence on the ability to drive and use machines.
4.8 Undesirable effects
Adverse events of paracetamol from historical clinical trial data are both infrequent and from small patient exposure. Accordingly, events reported from extensive post-marketing experience at therapeutic/labelled dose and considered attributable are tabulated below by system class. Due to limited clinical trial data, the frequency of these adverse events is not known (cannot be estimated from available data), but post-marketing experience indicates that adverse reactions to paracetamol are rare and serious reactions are very rare.
Post marketing data
|
Body System |
Undesirable effect |
|
Blood and lymphatic system disorders |
blood dyscrasias including Thrombocytopenia and Agranulocytosis |
|
Immune system disorders |
Hypersensitivity including skin rash may occur. Not known: anaphylactic shock; angioedema |
|
Skin and subcutaneous disorders |
Very rare cases of serious skin reactions such as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis, fixed drug eruption have been reported. |
|
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders |
Bronchospasm* |
|
Hepatobiliary disorders |
Hepatic dysfunction |
|
* There have been cases o! |
' bronchospasm with paracetamol, but these are |
more likely in asthmatics sensitive to aspirin or other NSAIDs.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme at:www.mhra.uk/yellowcard.
4.9 Overdose
Liver damage is possible in adults who have taken 10g or more of paracetamol. Ingestion of 5g or more of paracetamol may lead to liver damage if the patient has risk factors (see below):
Risk Factors;
If the patient
a) Is on long term treatment with carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, phenytoin, primidone, rifampicin, St John’s Wort or other drugs that induce liver enzymes.
Or
b) Regularly consumes ethanol in excess of recommended amounts.
Or
c) Is likely to be glutathione deplete e.g. eating disorders, cystic fibrosis, HIV infection, starvation, cachexia.
Symptoms;
Symptoms of paracetamol overdosage in the first 24 hours are pallor, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. Liver damage may become apparent 12 to 48 hours after ingestion. Abnormalities of glucose metabolism and metabolic acidosis may occur. In severe poisoning, hepatic failure may progress to encephalopathy, haemorrhage, hypoglycaemia, cerebral oedema and death.
Acute renal failure with acute tubular necrosis, strongly suggested by loin pain, haematuria and proteinuria, may develop even in the absence of severe liver damage. Cardiac arrhythmias and pancreatitis have been reported.
Management:
Immediate treatment is essential in the management of paracetamol overdose. Despite a lack of significant early symptoms, patients should be referred to hospital urgently for immediate medical attention. Symptoms may be limited to nausea or vomiting and may not reflect the severity of overdose or the risk of organ damage. Management should be in accordance with established treatment guidelines, see BNF overdose section.
Treatment with activated charcoal should be considered if the overdose has been taken within 1 hour. Plasma paracetamol concentration should be measured at 4 hours or later after ingestion (earlier concentrations are unreliable). Treatment with N-acetylcysteine may be used up to 24 hours after ingestion of paracetamol, however, the maximum protective effect is obtained up to 8 hours post-ingestion. The effectiveness of the antidote declines sharply after this time. If required the patient should be given intravenous N-acetylcysteine, in line with the established dosage schedule. If vomiting is not a problem, oral methionine may be a suitable alternative for remote areas, outside hospital. Management of patients who present with serious hepatic dysfunction beyond 24h from ingestion should be discussed with the NPIS or a liver unit.
5 PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties
ATC code: N02B E01, Other analgesics and antipyretics
Paracetamol is a well established analgesic. The mechanism of action is probably similar to that of aspirin and dependent on the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. This inhibition appears, however to be on a selective basis.
5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties
Paracetamol is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The concentration in plasma reaches a peak in 30 to 60 minutes and the plasma half-life is 1 - 4 hours after therapeutic doses. Paracetamol is relatively uniformly distributed throughout most body fluids. Binding of the drug to plasma proteins is variable; 20 to 30% may be bound at the concentrations encountered during acute intoxication. Following therapeutic doses 90-100% of the drug may be recovered in the urine within the first day. However, practically no paracetamol is excreted unchanged and the bulk excreted after hepatic conjugation.
5.3 Preclinical safety data
There are no pre-clinical data of relevance to the prescriber which are additional to that already included in other sections of the SPC.
6.1 List of excipients
Maize Starch Povidone K 30 Docusate sodium Silica, colloidal anhydrous Magnesium stearate
6.2 Incompatibilities
None.
6.3 Shelf life
36 months.
6.4 Special precautions for storage
Store below 25°C.
6.5 Nature and contents of container
The tablets are packed in 20 micron aluminium foils hard tempered bright side lacquered to a 15micron PVC Film. 0.25mm thick, opaque, white coloured, food grade, well thermoformable PVC film.
Pack sizes : 16 and 32 tablets (8 tablets per blister strip)& 100 tablets (10 tablets per blister strip).
6.6 Special precautions for disposal
No special requirements.
7. Marketing Authorisation Holder
Medreich Plc Warwick House Plane Tree Crescent Feltham TW13 7HF
8 MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBER(S)
PL 21880/0014
9 DATE OF FIRST AUTHORISATION/RENEWAL OF THE AUTHORISATION
04/02/2009
10 DATE OF REVISION OF THE TEXT
05/10/2016