DANGER - Take Tylenol with Care

[Jessterw]

The important thing to remember is that everyone's body is different, and as with alcohol, everyone has different limits of how much medication they need or need not take.

Take for example myself, I require 5-6 injections of novacaine through the roof of my mouth for even the lowest level of numbness during any oral (orthodontic) procedures. This applies to almost any medications I take, usually two or three times the recommended dosage.

My younger sister on the other hand, went through 1/2 a standard bottle of Tylenol chewables and had to have her stomach pumped. She was probably 5 or 6 at the time.

Any medication or substance can be lethal or dangerous when abused or taken with other conflicting substances. There are also hundreds of factors to consider, as some people can have reactions to some substances that almost no one else has. It's important to be fully aware of the possible implications of ingesting, or otherwise taking, any medication of substance, whether beneficial or not.

[jackzod]

Originally posted by Brian R.
jackzod - 30 pills of most any OTC drug will only give you a stomach ache.

Again, please read the references. They are all in disagreement with your assessment.

Dr. Mordrid - Don't overlook the fact that daily alcohol consumption often brings the toxic dose of acetaminophen down to the level of the highest recomended therapeutic dose.

Also, for treatment of Tylenol poisoning, after a certain time, there is no way to stop total liver failure. Death or transplant.

First some math

150 mg/kg x 70kg (average guy) = 10500 mg or has been seen in litterature with dose as low as 7.5 gr in 24 hrs

10550 mg /325 mg(1 pill) = 32 pills or at worst 7500/325 =23 pills

if you think extra strenght tylenol (500 mg) then you need 21 or 15 (in the worst case) pills which is more than most of peep should take, at least as stated on the bottle.

so 32 pills for reaching toxic level or 21 extra-strenght.
Now you need to know that not everybody reaching toxic level will go on hepatic failure, there is some individual variation there.

As for my reference, I'm actually an ER doctor and I do treat some of those intoxication on a fairly regular basis...

And as far as alcohol is concerned theres not really a dose in the litterature that i know of about the toxic level, but we do know that if they reach toxic level (140-150 mg/kg) they have more chances to go toward an hepatic failure.

as for 30 pills of any OTC being safer, aspirin is way more dangerous than tylenol, take the same amount just to see.. gravol can be dangerous too, as is benadryl and may other OTC.

The main thing with tylenol is that you wont know until the chained reaction of free radicals is started and is destroying your liver (24-48 hrs after the intoxication) and the treatment is most efficient in the first 24 hrs, still they can be treated after 24 hrs but response will vary a lot, and some may still evolve toward fulminant hepatitis.

[Brian R.]

Thank you for your confirmation. However, the acute affects are not my main issue. I am trying to bring to everyone's attention the effects of much smaller doses over time with concomittant alcohol consumption.

I still believe that acetaminophen is the most dangerous OTC drug because of it's wide usage and prescribing by physicians, as well as its insiduous nature.

Consider the overall number of patients that die from acetaminophen OD vs any of the drugs you mentioned.

Reference the Massachusetts Poison Control System in 1998 (the latest year they posted)

http://www.maripoisoncenter.com/annrep/annrep98.htm#execsum

They say:
"There were 24 deaths related to poisoning reported to the Poison Control Center in 1998.
The most common drug involved in poisonings was acetaminophen; the most common non-drug agents were plants."

[Admiral]

This thread actually reminded me it was time to take my Codein Phosphate.
Got a nasty caugh going on for a week now, something with my throat and that thing's helping to calm it.

[Brian R.]

There you go, read this thread everytime you start coughing...
(just don't take any Tylenol)

[Greebe]

You sure are late to the game Brian.

and to think I was telling this exact thing to the doctor handling my compound fractured hip 7 years ago when they wouldn't prescribe anything but candy... "what do you want me todo end up ODing on Tylenol... Oh yeah on second thought I bet you would, that way when I am near death you can transplant a freakin liver and charge $$$$$$$ you greedy scathing bastard! "

(Two weeks after surgery only would prescribe 500mg Motrin ...

Not to mention that I laid there for 7 hours in the emergency room (overnight) before they informed the doctors of my "complaint"... radiologist couldn't see it was broke in two places (Doc showed me the Xrays and it was plain as day)... no meds at all cause they believed I was a druggie (was late on a Friday night and was moving in to a new apt at the time... hadn't changed clothes or nothing after working 12 long hot hours calibrating Eaton Leonard tube benders... ****ing inbred US medical institution

[Jammrock]

My wife is on hyrocodine. One step above Codine and one step below Morphene for a nasty little neck pain she has. I've never seen anyone as loopy as her on that stuff. Tylenol is kids stuff

Jammrock

[Brian R.]

Come to think of it, there are exceptions. I wish this ****ole who keeps shooting people around my area and tying up traffic would take a bottle of Tylenol.