Acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol and Paracetamol, is the leading cause of liver failure. While some people overdose intentionally, many overdose
accidentally because they take two or more medications that contain the drug without knowing that acetaminophen is contained in each. The UK requires
that the drug be sold in blister packs in small numbers the way that pseudoephedrine is sold in the US. Experts believe that measure should be
extended to acetaminophen sold in the US.
www.newscientist.com
A POPULAR over-the-counter painkiller is now the leading cause of acute liver failure in the US - and almost half of those cases are accidental
overdoses.
Paracetamol (or acetaminophen as it is known in the US) is used by millions of Americans each year, and is commonly thought to be safe. Until 1980,
paracetamol was not even listed as a cause of acute liver failure. But between 1998 and 2003, the proportion of cases of liver failure caused by the
drug nearly doubled.
William Lee at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and his colleagues followed patients with acute liver failure who were in
a coma. Of the 275 people with paracetamol poisoning, 8 per cent received a liver transplant, 65 per cent survived without one and 27 per cent
died.
Initially the researchers had suspected a direct relationship between how much of the drug is in the liver and for how long, and the extent of the
damage. But people who intentionally overdosed, who tend to be identified and treated more quickly, had similar damage to those who overdosed
accidentally. That suggests a clear threshold for what constitutes a safe dose of the drug.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
This is a danger that not many Americans fully understand and I don't think that Tylenol does enough to make the dangers of the drug known to its
customers. I recently saw a commercial in which the actress said something to the effect that Tylenol would rather you didn't take their product
than for you to take it without following the directions. That's good advice, but in America, we believe that more is always better and the general
consensus is that acetaminophen is safe, but as little as 2000mg. within a 24 hour period can cause irreparable harm. That may seem like a lot, but
the drug is available in 500mg doses and many cold preparations contain that much, so it is very easy for anyone to lose count when they are ill and
taking multiple medications.
Related News Links:
www.liverfoundation.org
www.liverfoundation.org
www.askdrsears.com
www.straightdope.com
[edit on 2005/12/8 by GradyPhilpott]
