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New Zealanders are free to buy as much paracetamol as they want in supermarkets.
But many European countries have introduced smaller packages and banned the sale of the pain reliever outside of pharmacies in an attempt to save lives.
Coroner David Robinson said stricter sales restrictions should also be implemented in New Zealand after student Alannah Lee Spankie, 20, died of acute liver failure in June 2017.
The University of Otago science student had taken a large amount of acetaminophen before her roommates found her unconscious three days later.
Robinson ruled that Spankie did not intend to kill himself.
In his report, he pointed out how a change in the UK that limited the size of paracetamol packets had reduced painkiller-related deaths in England and Wales by 43 percent.
Most European countries also only allowed the sale of paracetamol in pharmacies.
Paracetamol is very popular in New Zealand and kiwis can be bought as much as they want in supermarkets.
Robinson’s report acknowledged that Spankie suffered from mental health issues and was struggling with the end of a long-distance relationship shortly before her death.
She had called her ex-boyfriend on June 17 and told him she was drunk and had taken a lot of acetaminophen.
The next day he vomited blood but still went to the library to study for an exam.
Her concerned parents urged her to go to the doctor that night during a phone call, but Spankie went to bed with the idea of seeing how she was doing in the morning.
The next morning, he texted his mother to say he was vomiting all night, but he still went to his college exam.
One of her roommates said Spankie came home from her exam and immediately crashed into bed. The next morning, July 20, she was heard moaning.
Her roommates found her almost unconscious and called for emergency help.
Spankie later died at Dunedin Hospital.
Robinson said Spankie deliberately took too much acetaminophen, but did not believe it was his intention to end his life.
He said that people who overdosed on acetaminophen often had no significant symptoms immediately afterward and could “go numb” into thinking that nothing was wrong.
But within 12 to 24 hours, abdominal pain and nausea may appear.
Patients could even believe that they were improving 24 hours after that, as symptoms seemed to improve, but blood tests showed this was not the case within the body.
Robinson said the danger with acetaminophen was that when symptoms appeared, it was often too late to treat the overdose, as the damage had already been done.
Where to get help
If you are concerned about your mental health or someone else’s, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call 111.
If you need to speak to someone, the following toll-free help lines are open 24/7:
DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800111757
LIFELINE: 0800 543 354
I NEED TO TALK? Call or text 1737
SAMARITANS: 0800726666
YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 or send a text message to 234
ASIAN HELPLINE: 0800 862 342 (they have appropriate language support).
There are many places to get support. For others, Click here.
