Dangers of acetaminophen
Drug dangers: The acetaminophen story just took a dangerous new twist.
In many e-Alerts I’ve noted that high doses of acetaminophen are toxic to the liver, resulting in nearly 500 deaths per year in the U.S. Now it appears that toxicity can be reached simply by following the recommended dosage, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina recruited 145 healthy subjects and divided them into three groups:
- One group took the recommended maximum dose of extra strength Tylenol every day (the maximum dose equals four grams)
- One group took the same dosage of Tylenol mixed with an opioid painkiller
- One group took a placebo
After two weeks, almost 40 percent of the subjects taking acetaminophen or acetaminophen combined with the opioid had elevated levels of a liver enzyme (aminotransferase) , which indicates possible liver damage. Nearly 30 of those subjects had enzyme levels that were five times higher than normal, and those levels remained high for several days after the study period was over. There was no indication that the opioid had any effect on enzyme levels.
One of the study’s authors, Dr. Neil Kaplowitz, told NewsTarget, “This is a drug that has a rather narrow safety window.” And he added a warning that heavy drinkers should never take more than two grams of acetaminophen per day.
You can find out more about acetaminophen and the antidote for overdose in the e-Alert “Safety Squandered” (2/23/06) at this link:
http://www.hsionline.com/ealerts/ea200602/ea20060223.html
Sources:
“Tylenol Found to Cause Liver Damage Even in Small Doses” NewsTarget, 7/5/06, newstarget.com
