Tylenol: If you take this medication, I am told that there will be

[yy4me]

some serious relabeling very soon. I'd check the Mfgr's website and any medical sites you might frequent.

This stuff can de dangerous and is known to contribute to liver problems.

I was told of the relabeling situation by a Doctor.

[ejpoeta]

1. i believe it was recommended that they change the dosage down...

so instead of saying take 2, it will probably say to take one. it may also decrease the total per day you should take.

[godai]

4. Probably get rid of 'extra strength'

This is the 500 mg tablet. Highest strength used to be 325 mg. Dosage would stay 2 tablets but dose would be lower, and safer (and less effective). Extra strength came about in competition with ibuprofen, to make Tylenol more effective at the higher (1000 mg) dose. But, for an OTC drug, the possible liver damage is really a problem for Tylenol.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Unexpected consequences

My friend had constant headaches and took extra strength Tylenol almost like candy, e.g., two every 4-6 hours, w/o telling his doctor (b/c he never sought medical attention for the headaches). This went on for a couple of years. Not only did he cause rebound headaches from all the Tylenol, he found out the acetominiphen not only damages the liver but that in turn raises blood pressure as the liver is the command center of your body. He had to go on blood pressure medication and wean off the Tylenol.

[lamp_shade]

3. Co-worker... bulimic... caused teeth to decay... took tylenol for months like candy for pain...

liver failed... she died at age 36.

[laundry_queen]

57. Interesting.

My grandmother was ill for quite some time. She had high blood pressure issues develop in her 80's after being fine all of her life. She slowly deteriorated, first with GI issues and then mini-strokes. It was only a few weeks before her death they found out she had severe liver disease, which was a mystery to us because she did not drink at all. After her death we thought about the years of migraines she had, plus arthritis, for which tylenol was her drug of choice that perhaps tylenol might have played a role in her death. Unfortunately nothing will probably come of it, because she was 'elderly' and 'it was her time'. It scares me because I can't tolerate other painkillers at all - tylenol is the only one that works for me and doesn't give me horrid stomach pain. I get migraines as well, but I have learned my triggers and so I've been able to decrease them. I now only take tylenol as a last resort during a migraine (probably once every 3 months or so). It scares me. Liver disease is nasty.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Ibuprofen is Much, Much Safer - And More Effective n/t

[lisa58]

6. I agree - my drug of choice

[RebelOne]

12. That's the only pain-killer I can take.

Any other pain-reliever, even prescription, causes me to have shooting pains in my stomach;

[magellan]

15. Ibuprofen doesn't work for some people; it has no effect on me. n/t

[Raineyb]

32. Unless you have high blood pressure.

I'll be sticking to the acetaminophen thank you.

[MannyGoldstein]

51. Actually, Ibuprofen May Be Better Than Acetominophen In This Regard

http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/510637

[JerseygirlCT]

38. Wish I could take it!

Wish there was another non NSAID option!

[Blue_In_AK]

45. Ibuprofen doesn't work for me.

I take Aleve when I've got pain. Knocks it right out.

[lightningandsnow]

46. Unless you have kidney problems.

I have a friend who can't take anti-inflammatories because they had a kidney removed due to cancer.

[MannyGoldstein]

53. I Believe That It's Not Clear That Ibuprofen Can Cause Kidney Problems

It's been hypothesized, but I don't believe that it's ever been shown to occur in actual populations. See, e.g., http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/analgesicnephropathy/

[CraftyGal]

58. You hit it on the nose there!

Since my car accident, May 5th, I have been on a strong narcotic because of being unable to take anti-inflammatories due to severe kidney disease. I only have one kidney so I am unable to use many of the medications on the market except for Tylenol.

CraftyGal

[BuddhaGirl]

54. Ibuprofen

can cause kidney problems. That's been known for years.

[lunatica]

7. It nearly killed my mother. It's called Tylenol poisoning

Two months in the hospital and 2 months in rehab. All because she wanted relief from arthritis

[tularetom]

8. During my stay in the hospital 25 years ago

they shoved that stuff at me. I knew even then that acetamenophin could cause liver damage so I flushed them down the toilet. But I wondered why a frickin hospital didn't know what a dumb citizen like me knew.

They were probably getting some sort of kickback for every tylenol they gave to a patient.

[riverwalker]

9. Aspirin: Wonder drug

The reason Tylenol claimed to be "safer" was that sometimes, Aspirin can cause GI bleeding. I don't know anyone who has developed stomach bleeding from aspirin, but it can happen. Aspirin is the first thing the ER give you for a heart attack, because of it's anti clotting properties, it thins your blood. There is NO PATENT on aspirin, made from tree bark, and a gift from the native americans. If there were a patent, an aspirin would cost at least $50.00 per pill.
I take aspirin, take it with food to protect my stomach, and a bonus for me is protection from clots that lead to heart disease and stroke. I take it liberally when I fly to prevent leg clots, and use it daily when trekking at high altitude. A cardiolologist once told me everyone over 40 should a daily aspirin like a vitamin.

[Vidar]

10. Another vote for aspirin.

[Confusious]

13. While its nice that you think Native Americans are responsible for Asprin

It was actually the ancient Greeks who chewed the bark that Aspirin comes from. Native Americans had nothing to do with it.

[northernlights]

48. well if you really want to get picky

willow bark was used by natives on 3 continents, not just Europe and not just the Americas.

I stick to buffered aspirin and take it with fluids and/or food in stomach.

As an aside, make sure not to take it after expiration. The acetyl-salicylic acid breaks back down to salicylic acid, which is far more likely to cause stomach bleeding.

Or just chew willow bark :D

[calico1]

14. How much do you take daily?

A baby aspirin or a regular one?

I agree that it is safe almost always.

It's been around forever unlike some of the other stuff.

[Confusious]

16. My brother in-law almost had a heart attack at 30 because of a clot

He survived, the doctor said 1 baby a day.

Fat Bastard:because they're tasty.

[Arkansas Granny]

19. I use the same wonder drug you do. My doctor recommended it for

joint pain and inflammation for arthritis because I didn't feel like I was at the point where I wanted to commit to a prescription medication with known (and unknown) side effects for the rest of my life. I may change my mind one of these days, but I'm not there yet.

[dysfunctional press]

24. i take one 222 every day.

222's are over-the-counter in canada, but in the u.s., you can't get them

each tablet contains aspirin, codeine, and caffeine. in other words- a nice morning 'cup of coffee'.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. Misinformation.

There is no patent on aspirin, but there is also no patent on acetominophen.

Aspirin does not come from tree bark, it is a synthetic compound made from petroleum.

Aspirin is not a gift from native americans, it is a gift from German chemists.

[LiberalAndProud]

41. I thought aspirin originated with the willow plant.

A quick google enlightened me not at all. Please explain?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

42. Salicylic acid comes from willow bark.

Salicylic acid, like aspirin, has analgesic properties, however it causes severe GI distress.

Chemists back in the 1800s took salicylic acid and derivatized it to acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin. All of its analgesic properties, and much fewer complications.

Salicylic acid is now made from petroleum distillates, rather than chopping down all the willow trees.

[Ms. Toad]

43. The concept of using salycilates to ease pain

and reduce fevers did come from the use of willow bark and leaves.

The active ingredient (salicin) was later identified as the active ingredient and formulated in a compound that is easier to tolerate by (relatively) modern chemistry.

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. ditto.

Also have never experienced increased tolerance to it.

[LiberalAndProud]

39. Yes. aspirin.

I suspect the Tylenol-related deaths have already surpassed those related to Reye's syndrome.

[customerserviceguy]

11. Saw this last week

and decided to eliminate acetomenophen products from our house. My lady had occasion to ask our neighbor, a retired physician, about this, and he confirmed that it's potentially dangerous stuff.

There are so very many alternatives, this stuff is like saccharin, we just don't need it anymore.

[UndertheOcean]

17. My father is a doctor , and he tells me that taking up to 10 grams of the stuff daily is safe

for short term needs (a week or two). and provided you don't have hepatic impairment.

[godai]

20. 4 gm is the maximum daily dose!

This drug CAUSES hepatic impairment, and 10 gm a day is a toxic dose.

http://www.lef.org/protocols/appendix/otc_toxicity_01.htm

"Acetaminophen is extremely toxic to adults in single large doses of about 7000 mg (or 150 mg per kilogram of body weight). This large amount in one setting, however, is relatively rare. Instead, most cases of acetaminophen poisoning occur because people take smaller doses over a long period of time. In this setting, doses of 4000 mg daily can be toxic."

[dysfunctional press]

23. 10 grams?

that's a fuck of a LOT to take in a day.

[northernlights]

50. are you sure he didn't say milligrams?

Because 10 grams is a *lot* of any drug!

[Dorian Gray]

18. Too much is dangerous for the liver

and you shouldn't take it if you drink a lot. Both can cause liver damage.

I thought that was well known.

[PRETZEL]

21. That's what my doctor told me many years ago

when my liver function tests were coming back very high.

He told me to stop drinking all together (I didn't but scaled back dramatically) and to stop taking tylenol based pain killers.

It did work. Took about 6 months but the liver came back to normal and haven't had a problem since.

[dysfunctional press]

22. tylenol has absolutely no effect on me. i never take it.

when my dr. or dentist want to prescribe vicodin(hydrocodone/tyenol), i always tell them to prescribe vicoprofen(hydrocodone/ibuprofen) instead.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

55. My doctor just prescribes

oxycodone, no tylenol, no nothing except the opiate, and it works wonderfully for me................

[dysfunctional press]

56. i don't have prescription coverage, so i take cheaper meds.

i was on oxycodone(oxycontin) over 10 years ago, but my insurance company dropped me- so my dr. switched me to methadone, which is a LOT cheaper, and actually easier for me to adjust my dosage...i take anywhere from 40-70mg/day, depending on the pain levels. i also have the vicoprofen and cyclobenzaprine (flexeril) for migraines.

[qb]

25. So much for the decades of "Hospitals trust Tylenol" ads.

They gave the impression it was nearly as safe as candy.

[dixiegrrrrl]

36. As did Dr. ads for cigs way back.

[Ms. Toad]

26. The real problem isn't acetaminophen, taken at the dose

recommended on the package, it is that they package acetaminophen with everything else. If you don't watch ingredients carefully you may not realize that you are doubling or tripling your dose by taking acetaminophen boosted cold aids, etc. on top of separate doses for a fever (for example).

Taken as prescribed, it is safe - although I find it totally ineffective for anything other than a sore throat. (The "safe as prescribed" is per my daughter's hepatologist (liver doctor) - who limits her to regular strength dosage, not extra strength, only because of her already impaired liver. He allows even his post-liver-transplant patients to take regular strength acetaminophen.)

[rvablue]

27. Kicking! n/t

[backscatter712]

28. Yeah, I avoid it - I'll take it once in a while, maybe once every couple of weeks...

but I really don't want to pickle my liver.

[abumbyanyothername]

29. I don't take pills.

As a general proposition. If my body hurts, I try to decipher, not avoid, the message coming in.

But I did read about the FDA coming out with something on this drug and liver damage as noted by others.

[Maru Kitteh]

37. For some of us that message is "you will have this pain every day of the rest of your life"

And sometimes, we would like a respite.

[garybeck]

30. not yet.... there was a recommendation from the FDA advisory board

it still has to be accepted by the FDA. it's not just labeling. they also want to reduce the dosage and ban some drugs that combine acetometaphine with other drugs that are addictive such as Vicoden, because this can lead to liver damage

[Catherine Vincent]

31. The tylenol arthritis is 650mg for each!

[Kansas Wyatt]

47. And I've taken the maximum dosage for 15 years now.

According to everyone here, I should be DEAD now.

I have NO problems associated with it.

[CreekDog]

52. Do you understand the difference between surviving unharmed and being unsafe?

there are people that have smoked for 30 years with no obvious effects --that doesn't make what they've done safe.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. They're reducing the dosage of maximum strength acetominophen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. They are finding that statins and tylenol make the safe dosage

that much more delicate... and people OD on it REGULARLY

After all if two pills are good, four will be better

[old mark]

44. The bad effects of Tylenol on the liver, especially when taken while

drinking alcohol, have been well known for decades.
Tylenol is a popular method of suicide in Europe for many years now,and the US just has not paid attention to the problems with this unnecessary and dangerous drug - it has made huge amounts of money for drug manyfacturers and sellers.

Aspirin is too cheap.

mark

[SuperTrouper]

49. Add Percocet, Vicodin, Norco among the acetaminophen (Tylenol) containing medications

there is an epidemic in our country of addiction to prescription medications such as percocets.