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Student who accidentally overdosed on paracetamol learns to walk and talk again - Published The parents of a student who suffered organ failure and nearly died after accidentally overdosing on paracetamol have spoken of the distress it caused and said they have "no idea how it happened so quickly". Riley Lubas, 20, came down with a bad cold in March 2025 in his first year at university, and took two over-the counter medicines without realising they both contained paracetamol. After being placed on life support and enduring weeks in hospital, he went on to make a miraculous recovery, and has even relearned how to walk and talk. The Royal College of General Practitioners Cymru Wales, external advised people to always "read the label carefully" and seek advice from a GP before taking medication. Riley was studying creative media at the University of Bath when he got hit with a springtime cold which he described as feeling "pretty non-eventful". "People get freshers flu or colds all the time in first year, so I got two medicines," he said. "I didn't realise at the time that both had paracetamol in them." A paracetamol overdose can cause severe liver and kidney damage, according to the NHS, external, with early symptoms often including nausea or vomiting and stomach. Riley decided to phone for help when his stomach started hurting. Tests at Bath's Royal United Hospital discovered that his liver was struggling. His parents, Chris, 40 and Kate Lubas, 39, raced from Newport to be with their son. Chris, a company director, said doctors were initially concerned it was hepatitis, external. "Hours later, at half one in the morning, I got a call from the ICU staff at the hospital saying we had to get there immediately," he added. "All they could say at the time was they were doing everything they could." His parents were told Riley was heading towards liver failure, and they watched as his condition deteriorated to the point where he was delirious and hallucinating. "By 6pm that night, he was sedated and on life support and dialysis and in multiple organ failure," said Chris. "The staff there were able to finally tell us how bad it had gotten." Riley's brain fluid had left the hospital staff "concerned" and his lungs and kidneys had also stopped working. "We were so distressed and had no idea how this could have happened so quickly," Chris added. By now Riley's condition had become so bad, he was transferred to London's King's College Hospital which has a specialist ICU init. His parents were asked about his paracetamol intake, and they were able to find the two medications and work out what had happened. Chris said: "It didn't necessarily help with a solution, but it was good to know the cause at last." While Riley waited for a liver transplant, doctors began to notice improvements in his health, despite his parents initially being told the damage could be "irreversible". "They spotted some improvement in the liver," said Chris. "We watched Riley's situation closely for a couple of days, and he continued to improve, until he was taken off dialysis and life support just a week later." Riley had to relearn how to walk and talk, spending a total of six weeks at King's College Hospital, before moving to an ICU in Newport. "We were amazed to see his improvement,' said Chris. "He'd had a tracheostomy, external, so he needed to learn how to speak again, and because of how many organs shut down, had to relearn walking too. "But just seeing him up and alive again was unbelievable." Chris said there was "no exact answer" that explains his recovery, but doctors think his health and age played a part. Riley has now recovered and is back working in a pub as a bartender. His parents have done a 31 miles (50km) hike across the Gower Peninsula to raise money for King's College ICU and raise awareness for paracetamol overdose. Riley said it was "mad how quickly it all escalated". He added: "Because I was already sick, when my stomach hurt I just assumed I'd caught a stomach bug, so I didn't notice the pain in my liver specifically. "I'm just so grateful that I was able to come out the other end alright." The Office for National Statistics latest figures, external show there were 27 deaths registered in Wales in 2024 that mentioned any paracetamol on the death certificate. Dr. Will Mackintosh, a GP and chairman of RCGP Cymru Wales, said accidental paracetamol overdose in young people was "a fairly rare occurrence", but there was a small risk if some inadvertently takes two products containing paracetamol at the same time. Mackintosh said pressures placed on young people who are working and studying, in particular, can lead to them taking as much over the counter to "keep going when they're ill". "Particularly things like viral illnesses, while they're not serious, it's important to get enough rest as well," he added. Mackintosh said he felt rest was sometimes "downplayed" in favour of taking medicine that will get you back to normal as quickly as possible. "For a lot of these illnesses, you need some time to rest and allow them to run their course as well as taking over the counter medicine," he added. He said local community pharmacies are "very cautious" about selling large amounts of medication, so they will "often place restrictions on the amount of paracetamol that can be sold". He said GPs had also become more aware of the risk a paracetamol overdose can have on older patients who, in particular, have low body weight. "When these things happen, the symptoms can be very severe and the risks are high, so we want to minimise this to as few cases as possible," he added. He advised people to read the labels carefully and seek advice from your pharmacist or GP, as well as the NHS website. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line. Related topics More top stories - Published21 hours ago - Published21 hours ago - Published10 hours ago
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