Odds are that that you’ve used an acetaminophen product at some point in your life. Acetaminophen is one of the most widely used pain and fever relievers around the world. If “acetaminophen” isn’t ringing any bells, you may be more familiar with the names of the over-the-counter drugs in which it’s found: Tylenol, NyQuil, and Sinutab just to name a few. Indeed, they’re among the most popular drugs available. Doctors and pharmacists often recommend them to treat minor aches and pains stemming from headaches, toothaches, infections, colds, sprains, and cramps. But too much of it can cause serious damage to your liver.
Health Canada has recently created new labeling rules for acetaminophen but doctors still don’t think it’s enough. “It is the most common cause of liver injury. Period. Full stop,” explained Dr. Michael Rieder. While acetaminophen is safe if used properly, the challenge is that it is found in hundreds of over-the-counter products and people don’t even realize it. Accordingly, some people are taking more acetaminophen than they realize and end up in the hospital due to accidental overdose. The result? Liver failure.
Liver specialist Dr. Eric Yoshida explains that inadvertent overdoses are particularly bothersome. A typical scenario is someone who takes two tablets every three to four hours and ends up losing track of how much they’ve consumed. Yoshida would like to see “extra-strength” versions of acetaminophen products taken off of shelves. “I’m on call to the liver transplant program for this province. I just got a phone call literally two days ago from another hospital of somebody who was a heavy consumer of alcohol and took Tylenol and now they’re in severe liver injury and they were calling for a transplant or possible transplant assessment.”
The lesson: always read the ingredients when taking any drugs, be aware of how much acetaminophen is going into your system, and recognize the dangers of overdosing.
Please share this story and help get the word out. If you or anyone you know uses one of these common products, this warning can save a life.
