Acetaminophen can be Poison

Acetaminophen overdoes is the leading cause of liver failure in both the United States and Great Britain. Fifty percent of all acute liver failure in the United States is attributed to acetaminophen consumption. While many of these cases result from an overdose, either intentional or unintentional, even “correct dosage” has been cited as causing liver damage, liver failure and death. In the United States, approximately 56,000 liver injuries requiring emergency treatment, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths per year are attributed to acetaminophen consumption.

One of the main problems with this drug is how easy it is to overdoes unintentionally. As most of us know, acetaminophen is the primary ingredient in medications like Tylenol. But acetaminophen is also in almost 200 brand name and generic products, most of which are available over the counter. These products are as varied as headache and backache pills, cold, flu and sore throat medications. It is not hard to imagine a patient taking acetaminophen for pain and fever and then taking other medications for sore throat, cough, congestion, and cold symptoms. Without a thought, the patient is overdosing. Compound that with the risk of fasting, alcohol consumption or genetic predisposition to liver disease and the patient is destroying his or her liver. We know that fasting is as dangerous as alcohol consumption when taking acetaminophen.

In cost-analysis studies, chiropractic care is often seen as more costly than simply taking acetaminophen for pain. However, if this medication’s long term effects are factored into the equation including liver injuries, liver transplants and death, then chiropractic care looks much more attractive than using this popular drug.

References: William Morgan, D.C., Larson AM, et al. Acetominophen Induced Acute Liver Failure, Nourijah P. Ahmad SR Karwoski C Willy M. Estimates of acetominophen associated overdoes in the United States, Pharmacopidemiol Drug Saf. 2006 June 15; (6): 398-405

Article from the FDA on Liver Injury.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM172664.pdf

Video on the FDA tackles Acetominophen:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/cb-tvIPZCZcb2Ll5K9bwCQhfIfoqPIixKZN/fda_tackles_acetaminophen/