For decades Tylenol (Acetaminophen) has been marketed as the “safest” pain killer and “the number 1 doctor recommended pain killer”.
While unfortunately is the number 1 taken pain killer, it is certainly NOT very safe.
Recently a few reports have surfaced in the media about potential dangers to your liver from taking too much Tylenol, but these reports fail to accurately describe what the dangers are and how Acetaminophen causes sometimes fatal liver damage.
Why Is Tylenol Toxic To The Liver?
When you take Acetaminophen, it travels through your bloodstream to the liver. Your liver is the organ that will consume or “metabolise” the drug. When the liver breaks down Acetaminophen 5% to 6% of it is converted into a harmful toxin called NAPQI.
NAPQI is nasty stuff and will cause liver damage and potentially fatal liver failure just days after exposure.
I have been taking this for years. Why am I unharmed?
If the amounts of NAPQI are small enough, your liver will attempt to detoxify it. NAPQI is made untoxic when your body bonds it with something called glutathione. Once bonded with glutathione the toxix NAPQI will travel out of the body. If the amounts exceed the available glutathione the toxin is free to damage your liver!
This is why it is essential anyone taking Tylenol or another generic form of Acetaminophen does not take too much!
Do Not Take Tylenol On An Empty Stomach!
Taking too much Acetaminophen will result in overwhelming your body’s ability to detoxify NAPQI and cause liver damage.
Taking Acetaminophen on an empty stomach, even in the recommended amounts can result in the drug arriving very quickly and all at once at your liver. The effect will be the same as taking too much. More highly toxic NAPQI will be produced and your body can handle and liver damage may occur. So always take Acetaminophen with food.
What harm does too much Acetaminophen cause to my body?
While it may not make the news much, overdose of Tyenol or Acetaminophen called by doctors “acetaminophen hepatoxicity” is responsible for a stunning 40% of all acute liver failure hospitalizations in the United States. Acute liver failure carries with it a 30% mortality rate!
Additionally, Acetaminophen-liver medical emergencies are responsible for more than 100,000 calls to poison control centers, 56,000 emergency room visits and 500 deaths EACH YEAR.
If Tylenol is so dangerous how come the FDA allows it with out a prescription?
Tylenol was first brought to market in 1955. As such it was not subject to the stringent approval process that today’s over-the counter drugs must go through to receive approval.
Forced To Take Notice
Recently Tylenol has been forced to ad additional warning labels on the packaging. The new warning, to appear in red letters on the cap simply states “Contains Acetaminophen Always Read The Label”.
A new warning has also added to the product website:
Liver warning: This product contains acetaminophen.
Severe liver damage may occur if you take
more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen in 24 hours
with other drugs containing acetaminophen
3 or more alcoholic drinks every day while using this product
Treat that headache safely!
While it’s up to personal injury lawyers to prove whether Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Tylenol have been knowingly misleading the public about the safety of Acetaminophen to sell more products, some common sense can help you avoid the danger.
For starters there are plenty of other over the counter pain relievers that do not have such risks available such as aspirin.
Should you decide to continue to take Acetaminophen make sure you do not exceed the recommended dosage and always take Acetaminophen with food to slow the accumulation of harmful toxins.
If you have been harmed by taking Tylenol contact the injury lawyers of Goldman Babboni & Walsh and we can review your case and provide you with information about pursuing financial compensation.
