Author Topic: I know we've talked about this before, but  (Read 26644 times)

Offline optom3

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #30 on: July 26, 2008, 09:33:47 am »
Tell you what.  The sister of one of my coworkers swallowed a bunch of pills about 10 years ago - sedatives, painkillers (she'd been prescribed) and Tylenol.  She was transported to the hospital (because she herself callled 911).  They pumped her stomach.  Did whatever it was they had to do to get the sedatives and painkillers out of her system.  But it was the Tylenol - acetominaphen - that they could not clear.  Her liver shut down because of it, and everything else followed.

He told me that about five years ago, and to this day, I swear by Motrin.


You are so right about the Paracetamol/actetominophen thing. It is easily available and probably one of the most dangerous meds. around.I really did see a young girl die after taking less than 20. I will never forget it to this day. She had an argument with her boyfriend and thought it would bring him back. She left to many hours to call the hospital and although felt fine the next day, she was not allowed home, which she could not understand.
She went into liver and complete organ failure litle by little over the next 2 weeks. It really does still haunt me to this day.There is only one antidote to this particular drug.
and it is only effective up to about 10 hours maximum after the overdose.I used to work a s a clinical chemist before doing optometry and, with every overdose you had to regualrly check the blood levels.
That girl just haunts me. I remember her sobbing saying she only meant to frighten her boyfriend.She was 2 years younger than me at the time.

Offline Katie77

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #31 on: July 26, 2008, 09:45:55 am »
Optum, how terrible to witness such a tragedy of that young girl.

Something i am curious about, in America and England, can you still buy these products in bottles?

Here in Australia, all pain killers, and most other tablet medications,  and all prescription tablets are in bubble packs, where you have to push the tablet thru the foil to get it. Each tablet is in its individual bubble

I think the main reason this was introduced was so, it was more difficult to get a handful of tablets to take at one time, albeit, not impossible, but it takes a bit more time to push each individual tablet thru its bubble, as opposed to just emptying a handful of tablets in ones hand to gulp down.

I have noticed in movies and TV shows from America, they still seem to have these tablets loose in jars or bottles.
Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.

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Offline optom3

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #32 on: July 26, 2008, 09:54:48 am »
actually acetaminophen is the compound name.  Paracetamol is a brand name, and is the equivalent to Tylenol, which is the most common brand name for acetaminophen in the USA.  In addition, Paracetamol gets compounded with codeine to produce other Paracetamol brands, just as they compound it with codeine in the US to produce Tylenol 3, which is acetaminophen with 8 grams of codeine.

The actual full generic name for it is para acetyly aminophenol.I the U.K that is shortened to paracetamol, in the states to acetaminophen.

So both countries take different parts of the full generic name. It is then branded as hundreds of different things and combined with various opiate derivatives and caffeine, even aspirin.
The real problem I have is that paracetamol and acetaminophen are the same thing.I spent years as a clinical chemist before becomming an optometrist and had no idea when we moved here that the 2 drugs were the same.
I could very easily have overdosed without knowing. Even when I went to my doctor,and showed him the Rx meds. I was on back in the U.K, something called solpadol. which is paracetamol/codeine phosphate 500/15 he had no idea what it was.
It was only when I went delving into it all that I realised the way 2 countries have taken different letters from the  generic compound to give an OTC medicine a name.
I think that is incredibly dangerous given the number of U.K visitors to the states and vice versa.By all means rebrand with watever name you want, but the generic should always be the same.
I know I get on my high horse about this, but once you have seen one paracetamol/acetaminophen overdose, you never ever want to see another.Nearly all are accidental, or cries for help, the patient then usually lives long enough to find out that they are going to die.Horrendous beyond words.

Offline optom3

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #33 on: July 26, 2008, 12:31:56 pm »
Optum, how terrible to witness such a tragedy of that young girl.

Something i am curious about, in America and England, can you still buy these products in bottles?

Here in Australia, all pain killers, and most other tablet medications,  and all prescription tablets are in bubble packs, where you have to push the tablet thru the foil to get it. Each tablet is in its individual bubble

I think the main reason this was introduced was so, it was more difficult to get a handful of tablets to take at one time, albeit, not impossible, but it takes a bit more time to push each individual tablet thru its bubble, as opposed to just emptying a handful of tablets in ones hand to gulp down.

I have noticed in movies and TV shows from America, they still seem to have these tablets loose in jars or bottles.

It is a 50/50 split in the U.K. They limit how many you could buy at any one time, but at most chemists/pharmacies, you can just ask for the meds.I regularly, when in the U.K would  ask for a box of 100 co-codamol which is paracetamol and codeine phosphate combined.Slightly lower dose of the codeine component than you would get from a doctor.
They came in soluble form in a large box.The girl behind the counter would signal to the pharmacist, who would look me over and O.K it. So I guess the answer is it is very easy to get  enough to kill yourself.
I could quite simply have then walked down to the next chemist and repeated the whole thing.In the small town where I had my practice there were 7 chemists that I could easily walk to.So 700 tablets of co- codamol.

Offline Mandy21

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #34 on: July 26, 2008, 06:06:49 pm »
Fiona, please forgive me for having brought up a painful memory for you.  I've read a great deal of your posts these last few months, but I'd completely forgotten that you had to go through that memory, or I would have kept my damned mouth shut with my post about how hard it is to get OTC medicine in Britain.

My only point was, and I've never considered suicide, so how would I really know -- it just seems to me that if someone wants to kill themselves with drugs, they'll find a way, no matter how many bubble-wrapped dividers come between them and the almighty.

From the second I watched the newscast where they came across and said, just casually, out of the blue, that Heath Ledger was found dead blah-blah-blah, like it was barely even noteworthy, and I dropped my dinner glass, and said Jesus God No and sat there in my dead daddy's chair, in front of my poor sick 79-year-old mother, without speaking, or barely breathing, for an uncountable amount of time -----  from the second I watched that, never then, and never since, and never now, would it have ever occurred to me that Heath would knowingly take himself out of this world.

It's just not possible for anyone to even think such a thing, of Heath.

It was a tragic accident, in his case.  Nothing more, nothing less.

That's all I was saying.  Please forgive me, Fiona.  Thank you.
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Offline optom3

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #35 on: July 27, 2008, 01:02:45 am »
Fiona, please forgive me for having brought up a painful memory for you.  I've read a great deal of your posts these last few months, but I'd completely forgotten that you had to go through that memory, or I would have kept my damned mouth shut with my post about how hard it is to get OTC medicine in Britain.

My only point was, and I've never considered suicide, so how would I really know -- it just seems to me that if someone wants to kill themselves with drugs, they'll find a way, no matter how many bubble-wrapped dividers come between them and the almighty.

From the second I watched the newscast where they came across and said, just casually, out of the blue, that Heath Ledger was found dead blah-blah-blah, like it was barely even noteworthy, and I dropped my dinner glass, and said Jesus God No and sat there in my dead daddy's chair, in front of my poor sick 79-year-old mother, without speaking, or barely breathing, for an uncountable amount of time -----  from the second I watched that, never then, and never since, and never now, would it have ever occurred to me that Heath would knowingly take himself out of this world.

It's just not possible for anyone to even think such a thing, of Heath.

It was a tragic accident, in his case.  Nothing more, nothing less.

That's all I was saying.  Please forgive me, Fiona.  Thank you.

You are so lovely, there is nothing to forgive.
In fact I think the more people know and are made aware of the risk with some seemingly harmless OTC meds. the better.
I find it insane that there is not in this century a universal drug code.So no matter the country, the generic at least has the same name everywhere. I also find it odd when so much information is held on us, why is there not a universal pharmacy list.
At very least each country should have their own list.How mad is it, that here in arguably the most developed country, people can go from one doctor or walk in clinic to the next.Then collect prescriptions as they go and get them made up at different pharmacies !!!!!
Wallgreens have never asked or checked with me, if I get other medications anywhere else.I do. Some are cheaper at Wallgreens and some at Wallmart.Fortunately,at least my psychiatrist knows everything I am on, including PK's that he did not prescribe. I do find it all very haphazard and now having lived her for a couple of years,can see how easy accidental overdoses are.
It would be interesting to compare figures with other countries, where much more cross checking an referencing are done.
You however to re track, have nothing to be sorry about.I find the more I post about things,the easier they are to deal with.Holding it all in has never been good for me.
So if I look at it that way, you have done me a favour!!!

Offline Katie77

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #36 on: July 27, 2008, 04:35:19 am »
From the second I watched the newscast where they came across and said, just casually, out of the blue, that Heath Ledger was found dead blah-blah-blah, like it was barely even noteworthy, and I dropped my dinner glass, and said Jesus God No and sat there in my dead daddy's chair, in front of my poor sick 79-year-old mother, without speaking, or barely breathing, for an uncountable amount of time -----  from the second I watched that, never then, and never since, and never now, would it have ever occurred to me that Heath would knowingly take himself out of this world.



Mandy, I am speechless after reading that paragraph in your last post.  Reading your words, brought that day back to the very second that I too first heard the news about Heath, and once again, it has left me absolutely breathless, and so dam sad, and yes, exactly the same thoughts went thru my mind, no dam way would he have done that on purpose, no dam way. Yes, maybe he was careless, maybe he was confused about how many meds he could take or had taken, but never never suicidal.

And I dont think any of us will ever forget that moment that you so aptly described in your post.
Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.

It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfection

Offline optom3

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #37 on: July 27, 2008, 09:12:40 am »
Mandy, I am speechless after reading that paragraph in your last post.  Reading your words, brought that day back to the very second that I too first heard the news about Heath, and once again, it has left me absolutely breathless, and so dam sad, and yes, exactly the same thoughts went thru my mind, no dam way would he have done that on purpose, no dam way. Yes, maybe he was careless, maybe he was confused about how many meds he could take or had taken, but never never suicidal.

And I dont think any of us will ever forget that moment that you so aptly described in your post.

I kept thinking it was a mistake and any minute, they would announce that he was not conscious but, the paramedics had started him breathing, and he was on his way to hospital.
Later when I read that he wa still alive when his housekeeper went into replace  a bulb.I kept thinking, why didn't you go in again, did his breathing not seem odd.Over and over I had thee thoughts.I could not and still not get it out of my head that he died while she was inthe house.
I know it is irrational.

Offline Mandy21

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #38 on: July 27, 2008, 09:37:52 am »
Thank you for your kind words, Fiona and Sue.  I certainly didn't mean to make anybody speechless :o

Reading my words back, though, gave me chills.  Geez, I gotta be more careful how I say things.

I think the only thing that snapped me out of my shock and horror and stupor during those eternal moments was my mom sitting next to me, aged 79, saying "oh that's a shame, i'm sure michelle and matilda will miss him". 

I didn't even know my mother knew who Heath Ledger was, and the newscaster didn't say anything at all about his family or relationships.

You just gotta love old folks and their addiction to The National Enquirer, don'tcha?

I actually laughed, at my mom, for a brief second, before the dinner tray went by the wayside, and I curled up in a ball and the tears came rolling, as I said "yeah, mom, i'm sure they will...."
Dawn is coming,
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Offline Ellemeno

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Re: I know we've talked about this before, but
« Reply #39 on: September 14, 2008, 08:29:55 am »
Heath sure aged a lot in his last very few months, didn't he?