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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)
Few homes are without one or more boxes of Doliprane. But is this omnipresence a good sign for our health or can it carry risks? Let’s take stock with Dr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.
Let’s make a bet: as we write, we know that you probably have one or more yellow boxes of Doliprane in your medicine cabinet, your bedside table, or even your handbag. Won ? This is not surprising: Doliprane is today seen as the favorite painkiller of the French, with 600 million boxes sold in 2022 according to the ANSM. A true bestseller.
A tablet perceived as effective and “practical” for many things
If Doliprane is so appreciated by everyone, it is because it has several advantages. First of all, fortunately, it knows how to calm pain quickly, without presenting many contraindications. Everyone has access to it, and is offered it from a very young age.
“Few people are intolerant to it, so it is the most prescribed analgesic before aspirin and ibuprofen” recalls Professor Gabriel Perlemuter, gastroenterologist, in the Parisian of the day.
In fact, although it does not cure the cause of the pain, it is well known for relieving common mild to moderate ailments, such as headaches or joint pain. He is also the one we take out of the cupboard when his child has a fever, for example. Which makes it a product of everyday life in many families.
The other practical aspect of the well-known little yellow box is also that it is available over the counter, without a prescription, and at a very low price, less than €2.50 per box. Enough to disinhibit some users who have gotten into the habit of stocking up and find themselves with more than ten boxes, just in case!
“Doliprane is not candy,” recalls Dr. Gérald Kierzek
Effective and versatile, Doliprane is not a harmless medication to consume without thinking, recalls Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo.
“Paracetamol is an excellent molecule antipyretic (anti-fever), painkiller, which can be obtained in self-medication or as a prescription, but it’s not candy!” he alerts.
So according to him, this attraction of the French for Doliprane could well present three limits to keep in mind:
- Be careful, already misuse! Doliprane, like Efferalgan or Dafalgan, is 3g per day, maximum 4g, and 60 mg per kilo per day per child. Beyond that, the doses accumulate and pose a risk of liver failure, which is the leading cause of liver transplantation in France. So there are real side effects. A good reminder, when a survey carried out by Ofma in 2021 revealed that 10% of consumers did not think that there was the slightest risk in exceeding the prescribed dose;
- There is also no need to stock up and bring back several boxes at once, “in case” every time you visit the pharmacy. “This can promote a unnecessary shortage which has no place to be” specifies our expert.
- Finally, beware of the cocktail effect, if taken with another treatment. “This is the case with other drugs which also contain hidden paracetamol such as Actifed or Fervex.“Also in this case, taking two treatments increases the risk of overdose.