Why Popping Dolo-650 Like ‘Cadbury Gems’ Could Be Hurting You More Than Helping | Image:
Pixabay
Much like The White Lotus’s Tanya McQuoid couldn’t part with her Lorazepams, Indian households have found their own everyday obsession — only this one hides behind the innocent face of a fever pill: Dolo-650. A silent addiction, neatly tucked inside every first aid box. From headaches and fatigue to low-grade fevers, Dolo-650 has become India’s go-to fix for almost everything. But doctors warn that this easy-access pill, when overused, may be silently doing more harm than good.
On April 14, US-based gastroenterologist Dr Palaniappan Manickam, popularly known as Dr Pal, tweeted something that went viral, “Indians take Dolo 650 like it’s Cadbury Gems.”
The tweet tapped into a collective truth. Hundreds replied with confessions — “I take it for stress,” “I pop one for bodyache even after a workout,” or simply, “just in case.” What was once reserved for high fevers is now India’s knee-jerk response to any form of discomfort.
Dolo-650, manufactured by Micro Labs Ltd, packs 650 mg of paracetamol — a step up from the typical 500 mg dose. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it shot to fame as the default prescription for fever, body pain, and vaccine-related discomfort.
As the second wave hit, so did Dolo’s sales, skyrocketing into every household. Social media crowned it the ‘national snack’.
One meme asked, “Don’t have Dolo-650 at home? Are you even Indian?”
Paracetamol is generally safe — when taken in the right dose, and for the right reason. The problem? Frequent, casual, and unsupervised consumption.
Dr Pal warns, “You wouldn’t pop antibiotics without a doctor’s advice. So why is paracetamol treated differently?”
Overuse of Dolo-650 can lead to liver damage, especially if taken in high doses or mixed with other medications containing paracetamol. According to medical studies, liver failure due to paracetamol overdose is one of the most common causes of drug-induced liver injury worldwide.
What many don’t realise is that painkillers like Dolo don’t treat illness — they treat symptoms. That temporary relief could be hiding a more serious underlying condition.
Suppressing these signs with Dolo might delay diagnosis, leading to worse outcomes.
In 2022, a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Supreme Court accused the makers of Dolo-650 of spending ₹1,000 crore on freebies to doctors to promote the pill — a serious ethical and legal concern. Even Former Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud weighed in, recalling he too was advised to take it during COVID.
The case cast a spotlight on how trust, branding, and aggressive promotion have shaped India’s medicine choices.
Dolo-650 is not the villain — irresponsible usage is. As Dr Pal’s tweet proves, sometimes it takes a single line to spark an overdue conversation. The next time you reach for Dolo like it’s a candy-coated comfort, pause and ask: Am I treating the cause, or just quieting a clue?
Why Popping Dolo-650 Like ‘Cadbury Gems’ Could Be Hurting You More Than Helping | Image:
Pixabay
Much like The White Lotus’s Tanya McQuoid couldn’t part with her Lorazepams, Indian households have found their own everyday obsession — only this one hides behind the innocent face of a fever pill: Dolo-650. A silent addiction, neatly tucked inside every first aid box. From headaches and fatigue to low-grade fevers, Dolo-650 has become India’s go-to fix for almost everything. But doctors warn that this easy-access pill, when overused, may be silently doing more harm than good.
On April 14, US-based gastroenterologist Dr Palaniappan Manickam, popularly known as Dr Pal, tweeted something that went viral, “Indians take Dolo 650 like it’s Cadbury Gems.”
The tweet tapped into a collective truth. Hundreds replied with confessions — “I take it for stress,” “I pop one for bodyache even after a workout,” or simply, “just in case.” What was once reserved for high fevers is now India’s knee-jerk response to any form of discomfort.
Dolo-650, manufactured by Micro Labs Ltd, packs 650 mg of paracetamol — a step up from the typical 500 mg dose. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it shot to fame as the default prescription for fever, body pain, and vaccine-related discomfort.
As the second wave hit, so did Dolo’s sales, skyrocketing into every household. Social media crowned it the ‘national snack’.
One meme asked, “Don’t have Dolo-650 at home? Are you even Indian?”
Paracetamol is generally safe — when taken in the right dose, and for the right reason. The problem? Frequent, casual, and unsupervised consumption.
Dr Pal warns, “You wouldn’t pop antibiotics without a doctor’s advice. So why is paracetamol treated differently?”
Overuse of Dolo-650 can lead to liver damage, especially if taken in high doses or mixed with other medications containing paracetamol. According to medical studies, liver failure due to paracetamol overdose is one of the most common causes of drug-induced liver injury worldwide.
What many don’t realise is that painkillers like Dolo don’t treat illness — they treat symptoms. That temporary relief could be hiding a more serious underlying condition.
Suppressing these signs with Dolo might delay diagnosis, leading to worse outcomes.
In 2022, a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Supreme Court accused the makers of Dolo-650 of spending ₹1,000 crore on freebies to doctors to promote the pill — a serious ethical and legal concern. Even Former Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud weighed in, recalling he too was advised to take it during COVID.
The case cast a spotlight on how trust, branding, and aggressive promotion have shaped India’s medicine choices.
Dolo-650 is not the villain — irresponsible usage is. As Dr Pal’s tweet proves, sometimes it takes a single line to spark an overdue conversation. The next time you reach for Dolo like it’s a candy-coated comfort, pause and ask: Am I treating the cause, or just quieting a clue?
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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