Paracetamol dispensing: not more than two packs per person!

The National Agency for Drug and Product Safety (ANSM), the College of General Medicine (CMG) and the Pharmacists' Unions (FSPF and USPO) recommend that pharmacists and prescribers (doctors, midwives...) moderate the use of paracetamol.

The General Directorate of Health (DGS) sent an “urgent email” to the professionals concerned on October 19, 2022.

The recommendations made to pharmacies are to limit the supply of paracetamol (Doliprane, Efferalgan...) to two boxes per user, in the absence of a medical prescription; to adapt the supply of paracetamol to the real needs of patients in case of a prescription of a large quantity of paracetamol and to limit the sale of paracetamol on the Internet.

Recommendations for clinicians are to avoid prescribing acetaminophen to patients who do not need it immediately and to reduce the dose to 3 times a day every 8 hours instead of 4 times a day every 6 hours if possible.

Individuals are advised to moderate their use of paracetamol and not to stockpile it.

Since October 19, 2022, the sale of medicines exclusively composed of paracetamol is restricted, in the absence of a prescription:

• Delivery of paracetamol is limited to two packs (500 mg or 1 g) per patient.
• With the patient’s consent, the pharmacist writes the paracetamol packs that are dispensed into his or her pharmacy file.

An order issued in Official Journal from January 4, 2023, suspends internet sales of all paracetamol-only specialties until January 31, 2023.

The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) reminds rules for proper use of paracetamol against pain and fever. When used well, acetaminophen is a safe and effective drug. But in case of overdose (inadequate dosage, too high dose per dose or per day or time between doses not respected), paracetamol can lead to serious irreversible liver damage in some cases: the wrong use of paracetamol is 1^re cause of drug-induced liver transplantation in France.