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Like Victoria Ratliff of The White Lotus could not stop popping her Lorazepams, Indians have developed an affinity for Dolo-650. India’s go-to medicine for fever and aches is back in the spotlight.
Dr Palaniappan Manickam, a US-based gastroenterologist and health educator, drew attention to the widespread use of Dolo-650, a brand of paracetamol. “Indians take Dolo 650 like it’s Cadbury Gems,” he wrote on X on April 14.
Indians take Dolo 650 like it’s cadbury gems
— Palaniappan Manickam (@drpal_manickam) April 14, 2025
His tweet resonated with Indians who shared their experiences of the drug. Dolo-650 became a craze in India during the COVID-19 pandemic, with people hoarding the medicine and memes reflecting the newfound frenzy.
Let’s take a closer look.
What is paracetamol?
Paracetamol is a common painkiller used to treat fever, aches and pain. It is available in the form of tablets, capsules, syrup and powder.
According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), doctors usually recommend one or two 500 mg tablets at a time. The drug’s maximum dose is eight 500 mg tablets in 24 hours.
Paracetamol should not be taken with other drugs that contain paracetamol as it can lead to overdose.
Dolo-650 is the brand name of 650 mg of paracetamol.
Dolo’s rise to fame
Dolo-650 became a common household name in India during COVID-19. Many people took the medicine even at the slightest hint of fever. Memes further captured the medicine’s popularity.
From Welcome’s Uday Shetty selling Dolos in place of kandas (onions) to Devdas’ Paro dancing to Dolo Re, not Dola Re, the memefication of the over-the-counter drug further spread its popularity.
“We’re having a pandemic for the first time, so the whole universe taking it together is what makes Dolo so big right now,” Dr Lancelot Pinto, a pulmonary disease specialist at PD Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, had told The Swaddle in 2022.
The makers of the medicine, Bengaluru-based Micro Labs, struck gold with the Dolo fever. According to a Forbes report in 2022, Micro Labs sold over 350 crore tablets of Dolo-650 since
COVID-19 began in 2020, earning revenue of Rs 400 crore in a year.
Before the pandemic hit, the pharmaceutical company sold about 7.5 crore strips of Dolo-650 every year, as per the market research firm IQVIA. This figure jumped to 9.4 crore strips a year later. By the end of 2021, this increased to 14.5 crore sold strips, nearly double the 2019 amount.
While paracetamol has remained a part of Indian households over the years, Dolo-650’s fame was fuelled by the pandemic.
“Where no other drugs worked and variants after variants recurred, Dolo stayed constant and the common masses’ trust on it as a ‘wonder drug’ solidified,” Dr Siddhi Chaudhari, a public health researcher, told The Swaddle.
It has not lost its charm even now. The sale of Dolo-650 tablets doubled post-pandemic in Kerala, where the medicine was distributed in all the government hospitals during COVID-19.
According to the state’s health and family welfare department, 7,54,10,565 Dolo-650 tablets were sold in 2019-20. This figure saw a slight dip in 2020-21, the year when Covid-19 peaked, with 7,40,39,385 sold tablets.
The amount of Dolo tablets sold doubled to 15,33,76,860 in 2021-22.
Experts say this was because of increased awareness among the people. “Dolo-650 has become an over-the-counter drug that has become a household name. Post-COVID, with constant advisories from the authorities not to go to the hospitals for any minor symptoms and the scare among the public to go to the hospitals have prompted the people to maintain paracetamol tablets in the houses. This is one main reason why the sales have gone up (sic),” Amar Fettle, government’s nodal officer for COVID-19, was quoted as saying by Times of India (TOI).
Pop culture has also contributed to Dolo’s popularity. “Not everyone has the time and education to go through academic papers. So, it helps to have easily accessible information in the form of, let’s say, Instagram reels,” Dr Shivangi Shankar, a modern medicine doctor, said to The Swaddle.
How much paracetamol is too much?
Paracetamol rarely causes side effects if the right dose is taken. Paracetamol overdose could cause liver injury if it remains untreated. In rare cases, it may lead to coma and severe metabolic acidosis, as per The BMJ journal.
Speaking to The Swaddle, Dr Chaudhari pointed out that the Dolo-650 is just an analgesic and does not cure a disease. “It is essential to note [Dolo] is no magic pill – it does not cure anything, simply provides symptomatic pain relief.”
If Dolo-650 is consumed in inappropriate doses, the drug will eventually become ineffective.
“It’s not like paracetamol is absolutely safe. When the entire population uses paracetamol together without any limitations whatsoever, you will potentially see the rarer side effects that happen,” Dr Pinto said to the media outlet.
There is also the downside that people start self-medication when a drug becomes too popular. However, experts believe Dolo’s popularity will wane once it becomes generic and doctors start prescribing other brands, as per The Swaddle.
With inputs from agencies