I tried to kill myself and failed. Has doing this done permanent damage?
I tried to kill myself and failed. What do I do now?
Okay, well last night between about 3 hours I consumed 21 Panadol pills. I was trying to kill myself, but I would have even been happy being taken to hospital for a while, just for a break from life. The thing is, all that happened was it made me sick. I woke up in the morning and puked, but I don't think it would have gotten rid of any toxins. I couldn't walk and my vision was impaired. I stayed home from school and slept until 4pm.
My parents have no idea that I am depressed or that I cut myself, and I don't have the heart to tell them, but has doing this done permanent damage? What was happening to my body when I took the pills? Has this destroyed my liver?
Hi and thanks for your questions.
Paracetamol (the active ingredient in Panadol) is poisonous to the liver. You are right to be worried, because even 17 tablets have been known to cause severe liver damage. However, given your age and assuming you are not extremely thin, the number of tablets you took is unlikely to have done you permanent harm.
It's not too late to go and see a doctor, and a good idea to do so, because there are not usually any symptoms to tell you if you have done any damage until your liver fails, and then it's too late. Go to your local hospital emergency department and tell the triage nurse what you have taken and when. They will help.
Hopefully they will also help with the things that led you to overdose in the first place, and to cut too. But if they just get fully focused on the medical side, you need to talk to someone about it. Phone the Kids Helpline for a start: 1800 55 1800. Don't try to handle this alone. Think about having a talk with your school counsellor/nurse/chaplain as well. They can help a lot.
All the best, and feel free to write in again if you want to.
