Lawsuits against Tylenol, say it aint so!

Numerous times while watching T.V. lately I have seen ads from a lawfirm stating they are garnering the publics help in determining home many people have been harmed through the use of Tylenol (acetaminophen) and saying that through peoples normal useage of tylenol they could be at risk of liver failure.

Tylenol—Trusted Treatment, or Dangerous Drug?

Studies have shown Tylenol—and its generic pseudonyms, acetaminophen or paracetamol—to be the culprit behind new data linked to liver damage.

Having been recommended by doctors and utilized by families for decades, these findings come as a shock. However the results are in: the friendly little pill we have come to trust to alleviate fever and headaches while being “gentle on the stomach” is not so gentle on our health at all.

How does acetaminophen overdose cause liver injury?
Liver damage from Tylenol or acetaminophen occurs when the enzymatic pathways of the liver are blocked or overtaxed by too much of acetaminophen's poisonous molecular remains after being metabolized.

For me, all these years I have been under the impression that tylenol, was good for you if taken daily. Is this something we should worry about, as it states "its been trusted an utilized for decades". Meaning for years and decades we have unwittingly, again been alleviating our pain while only destroying, and harming other parts of our body.

But really if this lawsuit gains legs and runs what does this mean? Will we see big pharma have to shell out billions for the lord knows how many claims that will come of this.

I mean really, how many people have never used tylenol???

www.tylenollawsuitlawyers.com...

Didn't see it as posted in the medical thread, so since the commercials have been bugging me just wanted to see what others think. I for one have had surgerys and been given perscriptions for T3's wonderfull things for the liver I'm sure, but i feel this could be a big deal if they're able to start prosecuting and charging the makers for liver damage and such.

To me I guess you would have to look as well just as much at the lifestyle but does this mean all these years when i took the magic pill I was doing more harm than good???

As well first thread so feel free to offer suggestion.....

The law suits have been around for some time now.

Everyone is at risk, whether it is an over the counter analgesic or one ordered by a physician. Eventually
your liver will feel the effects. I have known people to take up to 10 or more Tylenol for pain...that for sure
will help with liver failure. There is also a warning, though not on the bottle...do not take when ingesting
alcohol. Not a good thing to take, period.

I think you might be mistaking tylenol for aspirin.

Small doses of aspirin can be used daily to prevent blood clots during heart attacks.

Tylenol has it's uses as well.

For the most part, aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen contain the same ingredients and are equally effective. However, some may be more effective for certain types of ailments, and some people may prefer one type to another because of their varying side effects.

Aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) works in part by suppressing the production of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that have wide-ranging roles throughout the body, such as stimulating uterine contractions, regulating body temperature and blood vessel constriction, and helping blood clotting.

Acetaminophen is as effective as aspirin in relieving mild-to-moderate pain and in reducing fever, but less so when it comes to soft tissue injuries, such as muscle strains and sprains.

Though acetaminophen is no better or faster at pain relief than aspirin, the drug is gentler on the stomach and reduces fever without the risk of Reye syndrome. However, even at moderate doses, acetaminophen can cause liver damage in heavy drinkers.

Tylenol is safer on your stomach but rougher on your liver.

Lawsuits for this are ridiculous IMO. This will end up with medications like these being pulled from the shelf so we can all visit the ER when we strain our back and pay $5,000 for that tylenol.

www.wrongdiagnosis.com...

Is this supposed to be news? It's been common knowledge for years (afaik) that paracetemol caused liver damage. In Australia, panadol/panadiene packets all advise that too much paracetemol can cause liver failure, obviously it doesn't mention any damage through the recommended dose, but # - this wouldn't be news to anyone I know.

Opiates 4 lyf.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


pretty sure it was for tylenol provided link at bottom but im sure both do no good. As of late I swear off anything besides Vit C for the reason as it just doesn't seem natural to pump yourself full of outside stuff...

reply to post by ballsdeep


not so much news just keep seeing the commercials more frequently for the lawsuits and didn't see it posted.

reply to post by SaneThinking


Hmmm. Now I do see what you are talking about. I have never heard of tylenol having any benefits like that. My doctor almost died when I told him how much tylenol pm I consume. He said never take any of it. But we know how that goes...

We would probably all do well to swear it off regardless.

reply to post by SaneThinking


Ahh yes, my mistake; I guess I was just confused about how people were taking this to court when afaiknew the harms of paracetemol were/are well documented, and the general population was informed (by the packet? lol).

Tylenol probably will come out unscathed. Look at the Bayer-HIV incident in the 80's over in Asia and other countries. Bayer is still around and operating.



I won't take Tylenol because I've had a few incidents with it like making a small headache turn into a full blown light sensitive migraine shortly after I took it.

reply to post by SaneThinking

The FDA has admitted that 2000 - 2500 mg of acetaminophen, thats 4 or 5 per day can cause FATAL liver failure. IT KILLS 500 americans every year.
But try and get pure codeine out of a doctor, it wont happen. They would rather you cook your liver.
The best you can get from a doctor is 10mg of codeine mixed with that 325mg of that rat poison.
Opiates are among the safest drugs ever discovered,except for their addictive qualities.

reply to post by RRokkyy


.......AAAAAAAAAAAAAND the acute respiratory failure that occurs with an overdose...lawwwl.

The safest (physically) drugs ever discovered have much higher LD50s than any opiate zzz.


Edit - sorry, I see what you were saying; opiates are not physically or neurologically toxic.

Originally posted by RRokkyy
reply to post by SaneThinking

 

The FDA has admitted that 2000 - 2500 mg of acetaminophen, thats 4 or 5 per day can cause FATAL liver failure. IT KILLS 500 americans every year.
But try and get pure codeine out of a doctor, it wont happen. They would rather you cook your liver.
The best you can get from a doctor is 10mg of codeine mixed with that 325mg of that rat poison.
Opiates are among the safest drugs ever discovered,except for their addictive qualities.

edit on 16-2-2011 by RRokkyy because: (no reason given)

Do you have a link that states 2000 - 2500 mg per day is the limit?? I have known that to be 3500 - 4000 mg a day to be the max. I have really watched this because I have been taking pain meds, for years, for Sciatica.

The current maximum dose is 4,000 mg within a 24-hour period. She says patients taking a higher dose prescribed by a doctor are in no immediate danger and can continue taking the medication as prescribed.

I am still searching, but I am fairly sure about the 4000 max. I am all for reducing the acetaminophen in the pain meds. Those of us that must take them have enough to deal with beside a developing liver issue!!

Anyway, found sites talking about even 2500 mg daily causing liver injury. This has me concerned.......

But nothing on the current max being 4000.





Are you saying the FDA has, now, said this?!?!??

www.fda.gov...


Individuals with increased
susceptibility may experience toxic effects at lower acetaminophen doses than others—rare cases of
acute liver injury have been linked to amounts lower than 2.5 grams per day.


www.webmd.com...
FDA May Restrict Acetaminophen
Advisers Tell the Agency to Lower Over-the-Counter Dose of Popular Pain Drug
By Kathryn Foxhall
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
fda_acetaminophen_liver_risks_3.jpg

July 1, 2009 -- The FDA should put new restrictions on acetaminophen, an advisory committee recommended Tuesday, saying the move would protect people from the potential toxicity that can cause liver failure and even death.

The FDA does not have to follow its advisory committees’ recommendations, but it usually does. It will likely be months before the FDA makes a final decision on the drug.

You might not know "acetaminophen," because that's the drug's generic name. One of the nation’s top drugs for pain relief, acetaminophen is found in many over-the-counter products -- including Tylenol, aspirin-free Anacin, Excedrin, and numerous cold medicines. It's also found in many prescription drugs.

Billions of doses of acetaminophen are used safely every year. But acetaminophen-related overdoses cause 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and 458 deaths annually, according to studies done between 1990 and 1998.

Some people inadvertently take more than is recommended. Others -- such as people with underlying liver disease -- are more at risk of liver injury from acetaminophen use. Because acetaminophen is in so many products, people sometimes take two or more products containing acetaminophen without realizing it. That risk extends to children, who may be poisoned because they swallow the medication. Sometimes caregivers mistakenly give children too much acetaminophen.
Acetaminophen: Limiting Dosage Amounts

The advisory committee voted that the single adult acetaminophen dose should be no more than 650 milligrams, significantly less that the current 1,000 milligrams often contained in two tablets of certain over-the-counter pain products. The panel of 37 doctors and other experts also said that the maximum total dose for 24 hours, now at 4,000 milligrams, should be decreased.

As a person with Multiple Sclerosis I have been told by numerous neurologists to ONLY take Tylenol. I cannot remember exactly why but luckily I only take 2 capsules or so a month.

reply to post by Champagne


Why on Earth would you be taking acetaminophen for sciatica? It does absolutely nothing to reduce inflammation. Do you have stomach problems that prevent you from taking NSAIDS?

Forget drugs like coc aine and marijuana there will be a day coming when you will have to buy your vitamins and aspirins out of a car trunk at 3AM in a back alley. The FDA is going crazy. It is beyond control now and is only going get worse.

For anyone who has to take these dangerous chemicals for pain, or any other prescription, all over a period of time may cause liver damage, PLEASE TAKE A SUPLIMENT CALLED Sam-e!!!!!!!it can be a little costly, but you only have one liver. Has many other benefits, and many tests preformed in the 70' s to prove it.

en.wikipedia.org...


Almost a thousand published studies have reported on the spectrum of benefits SAM-e provides for the liver. SAM-e is a central player in liver biochemistry. The liver contains the third highest amount of SAM-e in the body, after the adrenal and pineal glands, and is therefore considered an essential nutrient for the organ. The liver also has special SAM-e enzymes specifically targeted towards regenerating tissue. In an example of just one of these studies, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, [1989; 24: 407-14]16 patients with liver disease (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) were given 1,200mg of oral SAM-e daily for six months. Liver biopsies showed a significant increase in glutathione, a crucial substance for the liver, and a significant reduction in oxidized glutathione. In the non-alcoholic, liver-damaged subjects, alanine aminotransferase (a liver enzyme indicating damage) was reduced.

www.same-priceinfo.com...