Boots Paracetamol 500 mg tablets (P)

Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you.

• Keep this leaflet, you may need to read it again.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you need more information or advice.
• If you get any side effects talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

1. What Paracetamol Tablets are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Paracetamol Tablets
3. How to take Paracetamol Tablets
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Paracetamol Tablets
6. Contents of the pack and other information

• you are allergic to paracetamol or to any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).

Do not take anything else containing paracetamol while taking this medicine.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Paracetamol Tablets if:

• you suffer from any liver or kidney problems
• you suffer from alcohol dependence
• you suffer from asthma and are sensitive to aspirin
• you have a depleted level of glutathione (an antioxidant) in your body.

During treatment with Paracetamol Tablets, tell your doctor straight away if you have severe illnesses, including severe renal impairment or sepsis (when bacteria and their toxins circulate in the blood leading to organ damage), or you suffer from malnutrition, chronic alcoholism or if you are also taking flucloxacillin (an antibiotic). A serious condition called metabolic acidosis (a blood and fluid abnormality) has been reported in patients in these situations when paracetamol is used at regular doses for a prolonged period or when paracetamol is taken together with flucloxacillin. Symptoms of metabolic acidosis may include: serious breathing difficulties with deep rapid breathing, drowsiness, feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting).

Tell your doctor or pharmacist before taking these tablets if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including any medicines you have bought yourself, particularly any of the following:

• anticoagulants to thin the blood e.g. warfarin
• colestyramine (to lower cholesterol levels)
• metoclopramide or domperidone (for feeling sick or being sick)
• imatinib or busulfan (treatments for cancer/leukaemia)
• flucloxacillin (antibiotic), due to a serious risk of blood and fluid abnormality (called metabolic acidosis) that must have urgent treatment (see section 2).
• carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone (for epilepsy), rifampicin (antibiotic for infections), and also St. John's wort (hypericum perforatum) as the risk of liver damage is greater when these are taken in combination with the maximum recommended doses of paracetamol.

Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking this medicine as together they can affect your liver function.

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. If necessary, Paracetamol Tablets can be used during pregnancy and while breast-feeding, but you should use the lowest possible dose that reduces your pain and/or your fever and use it for the shortest time possible.

This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially "sodium free".

Unless instructed otherwise by your doctor

Adults, the elderly and children 16 years and over: Take 1 or 2 tablets every 4 – 6 hours. Do not take more than 4 doses in any 24 hour period.

Children 12 – 15 years: Take 1 or 1 ½ tablets every 4 – 6 hours. Do not take more than 4 doses in any 24 hour period.

Children 10 – 12 years: Take 1 tablet every 4 – 6 hours. Do not take more than 4 doses in any 24 hour period.

Children 6 – 10 years: Take ½ tablet every 4 – 6 hours. Do not take more than 4 doses in any 24 hour period.

Children under 6 years: Not recommended.

Do not take more medicine than the label tells you to.

If you do not get better, talk to your doctor.

Talk to a doctor at once if you take too much of this medicine even if you feel well.

This is because too much paracetamol can cause delayed, serious liver damage.

Do NOT take a double dose to make up for the missed dose.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Paracetamol 500mg Tablets contain paracetamol 500mg as the active substance. They also contain the following other ingredients: maize starch, povidone, pregelatinised maize starch, sodium starch glycolate and magnesium stearate.

Paracetamol Tablets are white capsule shaped tablets, plain on one side and with a breakline on the other side.

This medicine is available in pack sizes of 16, 24, 32, 100, 500 or 1000 tablets.

(Not all pack sizes may be marketed).