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Specialists in musculoskeletal medicine have called on NICE to look again at paracetamol use after their study found long-term use of paracetamol is associated with increased renal and cardiovascular toxicity, particularly at higher doses.
The team said GPs should be more aware of the potential harms of the drug when used for chronic pain relief, especially for conditions such as knee osteoarthritis where paracetamol seems not to be effective.
They said they have submitted their study to the MHRA, which is currently reviewing the safety of over-the-counter analgesics
However, GP prescribing leads warned GPs against changing practice on the basis of one observational study, as the results could be biased and may not reflect how differently individual patients respond to paracetamol.
The study was led by Professor Philip Conaghan from the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, who previously chaired a NICE panel that tried to demote paracetamol from being the recommended first-line therapy for pain relief in osteoarthritis, which was forced to back down from advising against paracetamol use, after objections from GP experts who warned the move could put patients at risk from alternative drugs
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/20009319.article#.VPWbOvmsWAg
(free registration required)
The team said GPs should be more aware of the potential harms of the drug when used for chronic pain relief, especially for conditions such as knee osteoarthritis where paracetamol seems not to be effective.
They said they have submitted their study to the MHRA, which is currently reviewing the safety of over-the-counter analgesics
However, GP prescribing leads warned GPs against changing practice on the basis of one observational study, as the results could be biased and may not reflect how differently individual patients respond to paracetamol.
The study was led by Professor Philip Conaghan from the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, who previously chaired a NICE panel that tried to demote paracetamol from being the recommended first-line therapy for pain relief in osteoarthritis, which was forced to back down from advising against paracetamol use, after objections from GP experts who warned the move could put patients at risk from alternative drugs
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/20009319.article#.VPWbOvmsWAg
(free registration required)