Effects of legislation restricting pack sizes of paracetamol on self poisoning

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7313.633

BMJ 2001;323:633 ( 15 September )

Letters

Effects of legislation restricting pack sizes of paracetamol on self poisoning

It's too early to tell yet

Authors did not look at effects on all deliberate and accidental self poisoning

Paracetamol should be packaged with its antidote

It's too early to tell yet

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Any measure that will reduce the incidence of paracetamol poisoning is to be welcomed. Hawton et al report the impactof legislation restricting pack sizes of paracetamol and salicylateon self poisoning,¹ but there are major limitations in interpretation $---$ forexample, the period studied after the legislation came into forceis too short (one year) for its impact to be fully assessed. Thisis particularly relevant in the assessment of patients with acuteliver disease as the numbers are small and there will be baselinevariability.² The data from the liver unit at King's CollegeHospital cross the line indicating an incidence rate ratio of1, and the data from Leeds, Newcastle, and the Royal Free Hospitalhave incidences close to zero.¹

The authors give data on blood paracetamol concentrations and mean number of tablets taken per paracetamol overdose, but thesedid not greatly change and would be the . . . [Full text of this article]

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Effects of legislation restricting pack sizes of paracetamol and salicylate on self poisoning in the United Kingdom: before and after study: Keith Hawton, Ellen Townsend, Jonathan Deeks, Louis Appleby, David Gunnell, Olive Bennewith, and Jayne Cooper
BMJ 2001 322: 1203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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