# A Little Too Much Tylenol Each Time Can Be Deadly



## Ernest Nagel (Nov 24, 2011)

OTC is far from SAFE. Be careful about dosage and timing of all meds.

http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/23/study-taking-just-a-little-too-much-tylenol-each-time-can-be-deadly/

[B]Study: Taking Just a Little Too Much Tylenol Each Time Can Be Deadly[/B]
By Maia Szalavitz Wednesday, November 23, 2011 | 30 Comments
Taking just a little bit too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) over the course of days or weeks is more likely to be fatal than taking a single, massive overdose, according to a new study. In part, that's because when people take such a "staggered overdose," physicians aren't always able to identify the problem in time to help.

Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world, with 28 billion doses purchased in the U.S. in 2005 alone. But its very familiarity can obscure the fact that it is a powerful drug, and that taking only slightly higher than recommended doses can cause potentially fatal liver damage. Tylenol overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the U.S., leading to 26,000 hospitalizations and nearly 500 deaths annually, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The new study, led by Dr. Kenneth Simpson of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, followed 663 hospital patients who had suffered from acetaminophen overdose between 1992 and 2008. Of these patients, 161 had taken a staggered overdose, increasingly escalating their use of painkillers containing acetaminophen to treat common pain like toothache, headache and muscle pain.

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"They haven't taken the sort of single-moment, one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up, and the effect can be fatal," said Simpson in a statement. About 37% of people who took a staggered overdose died from it, compared with 28% of those who took a single overdose.

There is an antidote to acetaminophen poisoning  known as n-acetyl cysteine (NAC). The sooner it is given, the more effectively it prevents serious complications and death. But staggered overdosing often results in delayed treatment because it is harder to identify than a single overdose. For one thing, people who have taken a slow Tylenol overdose may not be aware that the drug is the cause of their symptoms  like abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting so they don't report it when they enter the emergency room. Secondly, doctors may not find high enough levels of acetaminophen in these patients' systems to identify the drug as the problem.

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Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/...ylenol-each-time-can-be-deadly/#ixzz1edJnNLnh


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## cobalt_butterfly (Nov 24, 2011)

there wasa simlar article in the UK. Staggered overdose of paracetemol, particulay during flu season. It has been commented that many over the counter remedies (lemsip ect) contain painkillers.


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## Miss Vickie (Nov 24, 2011)

Yep, it's pretty dangerous because acetaminophen is in a lot of OTC flu and cold preparations so if you're not aware of it and then take a Tylenol product on top of it, you've overdosed yourself.

Same goes with post-operative pain. We send patients home with narcotic/acetaminophen combo's like Vicodin and Percocet, or even T3's. However, if their pain persists, the patient takes more acetaminophen. It's bad. Even for those of us in the business, it's hard to keep track of how much acetaminophen a patient gets in a day when they mix Percocet and additional Tylenol.


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## CarlaSixx (Nov 24, 2011)

Good thing I hate acitaminophen. Probably just spelt that wrong. Lol. Anyway... It never works for meand leaves me in a cloud of head pain. Normally I just tough out what I have (especially body aches and small colds) but if I can't, I take advil(more like ibuprophen, not really Advil itself) and carry around some camphor oil.


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## smithnwesson (Dec 11, 2011)

Overdoses can cause liver damage: Not fun. You shouldn't exceed 4000 mg/day.

- Jim


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## MissAshley (Dec 12, 2011)

I used to take 2 capsules for a headache, and an hour later if it wasn't working, I would take another one. My stepdad told me there was no harm in it, but my bf freaks out when I talk about doing that.

I guess this is good info to know.


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