Tylenol , the Most Deadly OTC Drug? Part I
On a weekend in February of 1993, 37-year-old Antonio Benedi felt a case of the flu coming on. As many people have done, he reached for a common over-the-counter pain medication.
"I was taking Tylenol like I was supposed to, by the label," Benedi said.
Within a few days he was in a coma and desperately needed a liver transplant.
Benedi said that while he did take the medicine on a mostly empty stomach, he did not take the drug irresponsibly, which is what many people think must happen in order to be harmed by Tylenol.
"I never misused anything," he said. "I took Tylenol as recommended for three days. By Monday night, my liver was failing. By the time I reached the hospital I was near death."
Not everyone is harmed by Tylenol. The issue here is that so many are, and that the manufacturer's warnings seem inadequate.
Tylenol was originally approved by the FDA in 1955, and has enjoyed the public's and medical community's trust for decades. Many have touted Tylenol as the "safest drug on the market."
The medication world assumes that consumers tend to exceed the recommended dosage of over-the-counter drugs for various reasons. For example, they may not realize they are taking other medications that also contain the same ingredients. Others may not remember exactly when they last took a dosage. Also, many people view over-the-counter drugs as extremely safe and think that taking one or two extra pills won't cause any harm.
A typical over-the-counter drug has a maximum safe dosage of roughly ten times the recommended dosage on the bottle. However, Tylenol's manufacturer recommends a dosage that is equal to the maximum safe dosage, leaving no room for error.
Acetaminophen (that is, Tylenol) bears a warning about liver damage, but no warning about liver failure or death. In fact, acetaminophen is the number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Let's take a look at two groups of pain-sufferers who may have a strong probability of being harmed by the drug: users who have ingested alcohol and users who are fasting.
Small print on the labels do warn against taking the drug if you are having three drinks of alcohol daily. This is not the clearest explanation of how much is too much if, for example, you had several drinks last night and none today. Headaches are common during fasting and during hangovers. Acetaminophen is often used for relief at these times.
The human liver is normally capable of neutralizing the chemicals in Tylenol's manufacturer's recommended dosage. However, for people with alcohol in their bloodstream or who are fasting, their liver is already functioning at a higher capacity and is therefore unable to process the toxins found in acetaminophen. People fast for many reasons and for different lengths of time. Even breakfast follows a fast. It is breaking a fast, if you refrain from eating between supper and breakfast. Low-income children and adults may skip one or two meals. Many other people fast to lose weight and for religious purposes.
Do you think that Tylenol and other acetaminophen manufactures should warn of dangers such as liver failure and death when taken at the recommended dosages?
Produced by: Luke W Russell
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