Thai wife says five paracetamol killed British husband

[Acharn]

9 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

sounds more like a heart attack

sudden and painful

 

Paracetamol is very dangerous. It carries considerable risk of heart attack. It's an excellent anti-inflammatory, but so is ibuprofen and that carries risk of liver damage. I try to alternate them and use as little as possible. I would think five tablets would be very risky. Don't know if orange juice would be a factor, but I sure can believe it's possible for five tablets to kill you.

[Basil B]

I doubt overdosing on any analgesics will kill anyone in such a short time, certainly not Paracetamol, that was the point of prescribing Paracetamol, it could not be used to commit suicide (well quickly) but could damage the liver, but there again I doubt 5 tablets would do much harm.

 

Maybe a couple of Aspirins may have saved him?

Edited June 8, 2017 by Basil B

[NanLaew]

50 minutes ago, jorj44 said:

Does the husband acknowledge that he took five panadols?

Unless this can be done from beyond the grave, no.

[SunsetT]

10 hours ago, Orac said:

Surely the headache that prompted him to take 5 paracetamol should be an indication that something was going wrong before he took the tablets.

Why? That's what para is for; minor pain relief. The only time I take it is for a headache, or sometimes to relieve cold symtoms. But the adult dose is 2 not 5. There are many causes of headache which are not at all serious: Over tiredness, sleep deprivation, too much sun, heatstroke, food poisoning, hangover, cold or flu etc. Maybe taking 5 is an indication of taking them habitually, which is dangerous, or the severity of the pain. If the latter is what you mean then OK, you are probably right.

     

The fact that he collapsed so soon after taking them, i.e., before they had any effect, probably means it had nothing to do with the para at all.

 

Maybe his wife emphasised the para as Thais generally I suspect, may regard paracetemol as dangerous. My Thai lady thinks this and said a doctor told her so. If she has a headache she will ask me for 400mg ibuprofen, which I take when I have serious back pain, instead of taking para despite my explaining that ibuprofen is potentially more dangerous for the liver and can cause stomach ulcers if not taken with food, and that para is a healthier alternative and only dangerous if taken habitually or taken in overdose.

 

Why do Thais seem to get so many things 'arse about face', i.e., The wrong way around?

 

Edited June 8, 2017 by SunsetT

[Doctorbu]

5 pills would be 2.5 gm.....4 gm is the recommended daily maximum dose. Even if he had other issues with his liver it's unlikely the 5 pills caused him to pass...whatever caused him to take them in the first place more than likely had something to do with it. My condolences to his family??

Edited June 8, 2017 by Doctorbu
Additional info

[RBOP]

Some people are sensitive to Tylenol (Paracetamol, Acetaminophen). I got toxic hepatitis from Tylenol at 2500mg. Liver enzymes were sky high, thought I was going to die.  Quit taking Tylenol 15 years ago and liver almost back to normal.

 

By the way:

 

"To help encourage the safe use of acetaminophen, the makers of TYLENOL^® have lowered the maximum daily dose for single-ingredient Extra Strength TYLENOL^® (acetaminophen) products sold in the U.S. from 8 pills per day (4,000 mg) to 6 pills per day (3,000 mg). The dosing interval has also changed from 2 pills every 4 – 6 hours to 2 pills every 6 hours."  https://www.tylenol.com/safety-dosing/usage/dosage-for-adults

 

But this lad does sound like he had a heart attack. Condolences to the family. 

 

[ThaidaGwaii]

Typical Thai blaming game again.  Sounds like an aneurism, made worse by taking a massive dose of blood thinner...

[paulbj2]

4 minutes ago, ThaidaGwaii said:

Typical Thai blaming game again.  Sounds like an aneurism, made worse by taking a massive dose of blood thinner...

 

Except that Paracetamol/Acetominophen is NOT a blood thinner. My best guess would be that he had been working out outside in the heat and had allowed himself to get badly dehydrated. Dehydration combined with further heavy sweating can cause blood electrolyte levels to get so badly out of normal range that it provokes cardiac arrhythmias and eventually heart attack and death.

 

Maybe it was something else altogether but it's not a bad thing to remind people that, in this climate, dehydration can and does kill.

[YetAnother]

doubtful

[LomSak27]

Sounds like they and the TV detectives have no clue what killed him. The ParaC certainly did not. An autopsy is the only way to get an answer, if they want an answer.

[anto]

Why did he not stay in the UK then this would not have happened .If he wanted to go back to nature he could have got an Allotment .

Edited June 8, 2017 by anto

[ukrules]

12 hours ago, tonray said:

First taking 5 paracetamol is foolish. Secondly if he was a drinker, 5 pills could have seriously compromised an already stressed liver. This is well documented with this common painkiller. Read the label folks and don't be stupid.

 

This was nothing to do with the paracetamol.

 

[hawker9000]

Five?!  I don't think I'd even consider taking that many in a day unless specifically prescribed.  Lots of possibilities.  Pre-existing conditions?  Other NSAIDs or meds also taken or alcohol consumed?   Not just a plain old headache?  And if it's in your genes, heart attacks can take you at an early age even if otherwise in the best of health as best any MD can determine.

 

RIP.  Too young.

[tonray]

13 minutes ago, ukrules said:

 

This was nothing to do with the paracetamol.

 

You are likely correct but he was still quite foolish for taking 5. In the USA, Tylenol (which is the brand name of Acetaminophen that everyone uses) is the #1 cause of acute liver injury prompting emergency room visits. People have 4 or 5 drinks then over a 24 hour period take the maximum dose and end up in liver failure. Happens all too often...but this guy likely had an MI or a stroke. 

[tonray]

12 hours ago, trogers said:

Medication should always be taken with plain water, and not even mineral water.

 

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/07/01/juice-and-pills-can-be-a-deadly-mix/

No worries...in Bangkok the primary mineral in the tap water is lead.

[chilli42]

Well as my dear old dad said, who happened to live to 99 ... "There are far worse things in life  than dying".  Thought it was nonsense until I was old enough to see what can happen to people.  RIP to this guy but if you have to go, not a bad way to shuffle off.

[anto]

2 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

Well as my dear old dad said, who happened to live to 99 ... "There are far worse things in life  than dying".  Thought it was nonsense until I was old enough to see what can happen to people.  RIP to this guy but if you have to go, not a bad way to shuffle off.

Yes ,Living is the hardest part .

[wakeupplease]

5 paracetamol

 

Hope not the tablets they where suppose to give to the cattle?

 

RIP another Brit will never see home again.

[billd766]

6 hours ago, fatdrunkandstupid said:

Who paid for the 15 Rai...

 

Who cares apart from you?

 

Because you are speculating and insinuating things that YOU think are your business even though they are not I can tell you that I bought 25 rai of land for my wife.

 

If you can't or don't like what peop;e do for their Thai wives with their own money I suggest that you find somebody who gives a crap (assuming that you can find someone) what you think and tell them.

 

Most people on TVF like to keep their business and family information to themselves to avoid people like you.

Edited June 8, 2017 by billd766

[stanleycoin]

Its some times hard to sport what is crushed up in food these days.

[billd766]

4 hours ago, transam said:

Bad headache, if he has been having them for a while 5 may be the only thing that helps..Ever had Migraine...?

 

For me, never. But my ex wife in the UK suffered very badly from them. She used to take Migraleve for them and lay down in the darkened bedroom util it went away. It scared the crap out of me the first time I saw her get one.

[wakeupplease]

39 minutes ago, anto said:

There are far worse things in life  than dying"

What did you mean living here is worse than dying.

 

I would agree with that.

[dansbkk]

That's why I never drink Oranje Juice.  Unless, of course, it's mixed with vodka to kill all the toxins.

[paulbj2]

39 minutes ago, tonray said:

No worries...in Bangkok the primary mineral in the tap water is lead.

I have seldom ever heard a statement as dumb as the original one:

"Medication should always be taken with plain water, and not even mineral water."

Like mineral water is some kind of artificial product that contains stuff that plain tap water doesn't. Tap water contains a huge array of minerals plus chlorine; which ones and at what concentrations depends on where the water came from. In the town where I was brought up, there is masses of dissolved calcium in the form of calcium sulphate and bicarbonate, a significant quantity of nitrates (NOT good) and rather a lot of iron. Apparently, drinking osmotically filtered water (the stuff available from street corner machines and in bottles under various brand names) is not good for you precisely because, along with all the nasty stuff, all the mineral salts that your body actually really needs are removed by the filtration process. The human body needs mineral salts to make the kidneys function properly and if they are absent from the water you drink, the kidneys will necessarily remove them from your blood; this can lead to electrolyte imbalance and in extreme cases that can lead to cardiac arrhythmias that can be fatal  How good the domestic filtration systems are at removing heavy metals and other dangerous pollutants, I have no idea but decent tasting mineral water is relatively cheap here so, at home, I drink nothing else. It is not sensible to say that you shouldn't take medication with mineral water - it's simply nonsense!

[paulbj2]

41 minutes ago, wakeupplease said:

What did you mean living here is worse than dying.

 

I would agree with that.

So go somewhere else!

 

[speedtripler]

13 hours ago, chopin2 said:

I'd wait for the toxicology report, to find out what else was in orange juice.....

Farangs in Thailand only die from suicide or other bad luck , there won't be any toxicology reports here

[swanny321]

6 hours ago, bheard said:

I regularly take 4 at a time. Any less does nothing.
Don't believe for a moment that paracetomols killed him.
Sounds like a heart problem.

   Same here, but I'm trying to decrease my regular intake for 'those old familiar aches and pains'; since I read an article saying there can be a cumulative effect.

[bendejo]

Sounds suspicious that the wife has a reason for the death.  If you don't know then you don't know, period.  This is common everywhere, people rationalizing to cover their deeds when they have something to hide.

Maybe I missed it somewhere, but is there mention of the strength of the paracetamol tablets?

 

Just so happened I had surgery last week, so in recent days I've been giving a lot of attention to pain killer dosages etc.  The daily maximum for paracetamol (aka Tylenol) according to my doctor is 3,000 mg.  But not all at once.

 

 

[ukrules]

The lethal dose is thought to be around 24 grams which would be 48 tablets at 500mg.

 

There is a accumulative affect over a few days. This was nothing to do with paracetamol. It takes many days to kill you, an antidote works well and if you die of this it is a long drawn out painful death from liver failure.

[Bastos60]

8 hours ago, bheard said:

I regularly take 4 at a time. Any less does nothing.
Don't believe for a moment that paracetomols killed him.
Sounds like a heart problem.

It is time for you to visit your doctor. 

Even after my operation which was very painful after waking up and the next week, I had only to take a combination of ibuprofen 600mg and paracetamol 1g every so many hours.