The Office for National Statistics latest figures, external show there were 27 deaths registered in Wales in 2024 that mentioned any paracetamol on the death certificate.
Dr. Will Mackintosh, a GP and chairman of RCGP Cymru Wales, said accidental paracetamol overdose in young people was “a fairly rare occurrence”, but there was a small risk if some inadvertently takes two products containing paracetamol at the same time.
Mackintosh said pressures placed on young people who are working and studying, in particular, can lead to them taking as much over the counter to “keep going when they’re ill”.
“Particularly things like viral illnesses, while they’re not serious, it’s important to get enough rest as well,” he added.
Mackintosh said he felt rest was sometimes “downplayed” in favour of taking medicine that will get you back to normal as quickly as possible.
“For a lot of these illnesses, you need some time to rest and allow them to run their course as well as taking over the counter medicine,” he added.
He said local community pharmacies are “very cautious” about selling large amounts of medication, so they will “often place restrictions on the amount of paracetamol that can be sold”.
He said GPs had also become more aware of the risk a paracetamol overdose can have on older patients who, in particular, have low body weight.
“When these things happen, the symptoms can be very severe and the risks are high, so we want to minimise this to as few cases as possible,” he added.
He advised people to read the labels carefully and seek advice from your pharmacist or GP, as well as the NHS website.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line.
