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 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.
• You must talk to a doctor if you do not feel better or if you feel worse.

1. What Paracetamol 500mg Tablets are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Paracetamol 500mg Tablets
3. How to take Paracetamol 500mg Tablets
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Paracetamol 500mg Tablets
6. Contents of the pack and other information

• if you are allergic to paracetamol, sodium metabisulfite or any of the other ingredients listed in section 6.

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

Talk to you pharmacist or doctor before taking if

• you suffer from severe liver or kidney disease, including alcoholic liver disease.

Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking the tablets if you are taking any of the following:

• medicines for nausea or sickness, such as metoclopramide or domperidone.
• colestyramine for high cholesterol or high blood fats
• warfarin (or other medicines used to thin the blood and reduce the risk of clotting). The risk of bleeding may be increased if you take paracetamol daily over a long period of time. However you can take occasional doses of paracetamol.
• flucloxacillin (antibiotic), due to a serious risk of blood and fluid abnormality (high anion gap metabolic acidosis) that must have urgent treatment and which may occur particularly in case of severe renal impairment, sepsis (when bacteria and their toxins circulate in the blood leading to organ damage), malnutrition, chronic alcoholism, and if the maximum daily doses of paracetamol are used.

If necessary, Paracetamol 500mg Tables can be used during pregnancy. You should use the lowest possible dose that reduces your pain and/or fever and use it for the shortest time possible. Contact your doctor or midwife if the pain and/or fever are not reduced or if you need to take the medicine more often.

You can take paracetamol while breastfeeding

Paracetamol 500mg Tablets contain less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 2 tablets, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.

Sodium metabisulfite (E223) which may rarely cause severe hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions and bronchospasm (narrowing of the windpipe).

• skin rashes or other signs of allergic reaction such as itching, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty in breathing
• unexpected bruising or bleeding, persistent tiredness, or increase in the number of infections (e.g. sore throats) which you get. These are possible signs of changes in the blood
• skin rash or peeling, or mouth ulcers
• breathing problems. These are more likely if you have experienced them before when taking other painkillers such as ibuprofen and aspirin
• nausea, sudden weight loss, loss of appetite and yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Very rare cases of serious skin reactions have been reported.

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 at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

The active ingredient is: Paracetamol 500mg per tablet.

Other ingredients are: Pregelatinised maize starch, sodium metabisulfite (E223) and magnesium stearate.

Paracetamol 500mg Tablets are white, capsule-shaped tablets with a break line on one side.

This pack contains 16 tablets.