Table 3.
Number of tablets used in cases of self poisoning with paracetamol and salicylates in Oxford and Bristol and Bath before and after the change in law*
| Drug | Geometric mean No of tablets per overdose (95% CI)
|
% change in mean No of tablets taken (95% CI) | P value | No (%) of cases where >32 tablets were taken
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No of cases | 12 months before change | No of cases | 12 months after change | 12 months before change | 12 months after change | % change in proportion (95% CI) | P value | |||
| Paracetamol | ||||||||||
| Oxford | 386 | 21.4 (19.9 to 23.1) | 309 | 21.5 (19.7 to 23.4) | 0 (−11 to 13) | 96 (25) | 85 (28) | 11 (−14 to 42) | ||
| Bristol & Bath | 886 | 21.7 (20.6 to 22.9) | 713 | 19.7 (18.6 to 20.8) | −9 (−16 to −2) | 252 (28) | 147 (21) | −28 (−39 to −13) | ||
| Weighted average | −7 (−12 to 0) | 0.04 | −17 (−28 to −4) | 0.01 | ||||||
| Paracetamol compounds | ||||||||||
| Oxford | 82 | 11.4 (9.4 to 13.8) | 77 | 11.7 (9.4 to 14.7) | 3 (−23 to 37) | 8 (10) | 12 (16) | 60 (−31 to 270) | ||
| Bristol & Bath | 214 | 12.9 (11.5 to 14.4) | 273 | 12.5 (11.3 to 13.8) | −3 (−17 to 12) | 24 (11) | 32 (12) | 5 (−36 to 72) | ||
| Weighted average | −2 (−14 to 12) | 0.8 | 17 (−24 to 79) | 0.5 | ||||||
| Salicylates | ||||||||||
| Oxford | 56 | 23.3 (17.5 to 30.9) | 59 | 17.7 (14.0 to 22.4) | −24 (−47 to 9) | 20 (36) | 13 (22) | −38 (−66 to 12) | ||
| Bristol & Bath | 124 | 20.6 (17.4 to 24.2) | 99 | 20.1 (17.3 to 23.3) | −2 (−22 to 23) | 31 (25) | 17 (17) | −31 (−60 to 17) | ||
| Weighted average | −9 (−25 to 10) | 0.3 | −34 (−56 to −2) | 0.04 | ||||||
| Salicylate compounds | ||||||||||
| Oxford | 60 | 16.8 (13.9 to 20.3) | 39 | 13.8 (11.0 to 17.3) | −18 (−39 to 10) | 8 (13) | 5 (13 ) | −4 (−66 to 173) | ||
| Bristol & Bath | 105 | 16.2 (13.7 to 19.3) | 103 | 15.1 (13.0 to 17.4) | −7 (−26 to 16) | 18 (17) | 9 (9) | −49 (−76 to 8) | ||
| Weighted average | −11 (−26 to 6) | 0.2 | −37 (−66 to 15) | 0.13 | ||||||
*
16 September 1998.