Too Much Acetaminophen Can Be Harmful – Even Fatal

If your doctor has directed you to use this medication, remember that he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects. A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash,itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

These medications may cause some risk when taken together. Consult your healthcare professional (e.g., doctor or pharmacist) for more in formation.

  • ACETAMINOPHEN/ISONIAZID
  • ACETAMINOPHEN/SELECTED ANTICOAGULANTS

Too Much Acetaminophen Can Be Harmful – Even Fatal

Dr. Mercola presents the facts and the dangers.

Acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol, among others, may be among the most dangerous medicines on the market. Not thinking, it turns out, could cost you dearly… Acetaminophen overdose is actually the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers across the US—more than 100,000 instances per year—and, each year, is responsible for:

  • More than 56,000 emergency room visits
  • 2,600 hospitalizations
  • An estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure

In fact, according to data from the Acute Liver Failure Study Group registry, acetaminophen poisoning is responsible for nearly HALF of ALL acute liver failure cases in the US.

As it turns out, acetaminophen can be toxic to your liver even at recommended doses when taken daily for just a couple of weeks.  Previous research  has also shown that taking just a little more than the recommended dose over the course of several days or weeks (referred to as “staggered overdosing”) is far more risky than taking one large overdose. Your risk of severe liver injury and/or death increases if you:

  1. Take more than one regular strength (325 mg) acetaminophen when combined with a narcotic analgesic like codeine or hydrocodone
  2. Take more than the prescribed dose of an acetaminophen-containing product in a 24-hour period
  3. Take more than one acetaminophen-containing product at the same time. Make sure to read the list of ingredients on any other over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription drug you take in combination. Beware that many cold remedies also contain acetaminophen at varying dosages, and you must add all of these amounts together. Certain prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin and Percocet, also contain acetaminophen and should therefore not be mixed with other acetaminophen-containing medications.
  4. Drink alcohol while taking an acetaminophen product. Recent research  suggests that acetaminophen also significantly increases your risk of kidney dysfunction if taken with alcohol—even if the amount of alcohol is small  Combining alcohol with acetaminophen was found to raise the risk of kidney damage by 123 percent, compared to taking either of them individually. Besides alcoholics, young adults are particularly at risk as they’re more likely to consume both.

Last year, PBS News reported that 1,500 deaths over the past 10 years have been linked to taking a little bit more acetaminophen than the recommended dosage. A major problem, as PBS points out, is that while acetaminophen is considered safe when taken as recommended, the margin between a safe dose and a potentially lethal one is disturbingly small.  

On January 14, this year, the FDA finally issued a statement  urging doctors and other health professionals to discontinue prescribing and dispensing prescription combination drug products that contain more than 325 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen per tablet, capsule, or other dosage unit. According to the FDA, there’s no evidence suggesting that taking more than 325 mg of acetaminophen provides any benefit that might outweigh the increased risk of severe liver damage. The FDA also notes that while more than half of manufacturers have voluntarily complied by reducing the amount of acetaminophen per dose, prescription products that contain more than the recommended maximum of 325 mg of acetaminophen still remain on the market. So please, always check the label before you take any medication containing acetaminophen, to make sure you’re not getting too much.

“In the near future FDA intends to institute proceedings to withdraw approval of prescription combination drug products containing more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit that remain on the market,” the FDA noted.

The FDA found 107 cases of serious skin reactions linked to acetaminophen products between 1969 and 2012. Sixty-seven of them required hospitalization; 12 died. The data, coupled with several cases documented in medical literature, has prompted the FDA to require a warning about potential skin reactions be added to prescription acetaminophen products.14 The skin reactions linked to acetaminophen include:

  • Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS): This reaction begins with flu-like symptoms that progress into a painful purple or red rash that blisters and causes the top layer of your skin to slough off. This can lead to serious infections, blindness, damage to internal organs, permanent skin damage, and even death.
  • Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS): TENS also typically begins with flu-like symptoms (cough, headache, aches, and fever) and progresses into a blistering rash. Layers of the skin may peel away in sheets, and hair and nails may fall out. TENS is often fatal, typically as a result of infection.
  • Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis (AGEP): This skin eruption causes numerous pustules to appear on the skin, often accompanied by fever. This condition typically resolves within two weeks once the acetaminophen is stopped.

While the main cause of SJS, TENS, and AGEP is the consumption of certain acetaminophen-containing medications, no one knows exactly why it occurs, or what makes certain people more at risk. What is particularly alarming is that it can occur at any time, even if you’ve taken the medication in the past without issue. According to the FDA, there’s no way to predict who might be at increased risk for such side effects. For this reason, heed the FDA’s recommendation: If you’ve ever had a skin reaction when taking acetaminophen, don’t take the drug again.”

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a supplement used in cases of acetaminophen overdose.  It’s a standard part of care, approved in 1985 by the FDA as an antidote for acetaminophen toxicity. The approval of NAC for this purpose was based on a research program by the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, which “clearly demonstrated the efficacy of acetylcysteine, when used early in the course of treatment, in reducing morbidity and virtually eliminating mortality associated with acetaminophen overdose,” according to the published treatment guidelines. The irony of the situation, as a nutritional supplement—NAC is the rate-limiting nutrient for the formation of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione—is prescribed as the antidote to a pharmaceutical drug… This goes back to the conversation about the extraordinary safety, and wide-ranging benefits, of dietary supplements. Yet, Big Pharma promoters like Dr. Paul Offit and Senator Dick Durbin are going to great lengths to try to paint supplements as a dangerous scourge that has no place in good medicine. The case of NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) is just one of many examples where a supplement can be a lifesaver after conventional medicine has wrought havoc on your body. Another potent example is CoQ10, which is absolutely crucial if you’re taking a statin drug. If Senator Durbin and the drug industry get their way, lifesaving supplements (like NAC and CoQ10) would have to go through extensive and extremely costly drug testing, which might make them unavailable—at least temporarily, and if they were available, they would be far more expensive. But back to the main point:   given the health risks discussed above, they are sometimes necessary to temporarily suppress severe pain, such as post-surgical pain. For those instances, I recommend taking it along with NAC. It is believed that the liver damage acetaminophen causes is largely due to the fact that it can deplete glutathione, an antioxidant compound secreted by your liver in response to toxic exposure. Glutathione also helps protect your cells from free radical damage. If you keep your glutathione levels up, the damage from the acetaminophen may be largely preventable. As noted above, mortality due to acetaminophen toxicity has been shown to be virtually eliminated when NAC is promptly administered in cases of acetaminophen overdose. So whether you are taking Tylenol in prescription or over-the-counter form, Take NAC along with it. Bear in mind that while this may help prevent liver damage from occurring,

Whether you’re trying to address acute or chronic pain, please know that there are many other safer yet still effective alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter painkillers. For an extensive list of recommendations, please see this recent article on acetaminophen alternatives.

One potent alternative  to investigate is K-Laser therapy, which can be an excellent choice for many painful conditions, including acute injuries. By addressing the underlying cause of the pain, you will no longer need to rely on regular doses of painkillers. Also, for long-term relief, it is strongly recommend taking a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat like krill oil, as omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. Addressing your diet by eliminating or radically reducing most grains and sugars (including fructose) is also important, as avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels. Elevated insulin and leptin levels are one of the most profound stimulators of inflammatory prostaglandin production. That is why eliminating sugar and grains is so important to controlling your pain.

It is recommended that optimizing your production of vitamin D by getting regular, appropriate sun exposure, which will work through a variety of different mechanisms to reduce your pain. Along with these strategies, be sure you are also addressing any emotional elements. EFT is particularly useful for this—whether your pain is chronic or acute. In both instances, your level of stress, your anxiety, and your perceptions of pain all play a role in how you experience pain, and addressing these elements can go a long way toward providing effective pain relief.

Article Summary

  • Acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers across the US—more than 100,000 instances per year
  • Each year, acetaminophen overdose is responsible for more than 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure
  • Acetaminophen poisoning is responsible for nearly HALF of ALL acute liver failure cases in the US. It can be toxic to your liver even at recommended doses when taken daily for just a couple of weeks
  • While rare, it’s also worth noting that acetaminophen has been linked to very serious skin reactions
  • The FDA has issued a statement urging health professionals to discontinue prescribing and dispensing prescription combination drug products containing more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dose

Read the full source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/03/26/acetaminophen-overdose.aspx

photo source: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1390/638193757_d12b1f1aff_q_d.jpg Leigh
FaceBook photo source: Flickr/Mike Mozart – Tylenol, 12/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40645538@N00/4167161170

How To Get All The Benefits Of Exercise In Less Than A Week – Click Here!

Leave a Reply