The drugs filled with acetaminophen probably line a couple shelves in your medicine cabinet. Taking more than about 3 grams of acetaminophen off of these shelves can be dangerous and even lethal. Understanding the health risks of drugs like these, such as Tylenol, is important to avoid liver damage or a Tylenol Overdose.
Acetaminophen and The Prevalent Tylenol Overdose
Acetaminophen in high doses is so dangerous that many doctors are asking for extra strength Tylenol to be taken off the shelves. This Tylenol has 500mg of acetaminophen in just one pill. This dosage makes users prone to accidentally taking too much. This is a legitimate risk as 1,500 people died from too much acetaminophen from 2001 to 2009.[i] [ii]
Other evidence says that it is the most common cause of liver injury because of it being taken in high doses, with alcohol, or in combination with existing liver problems. Taking too much Tylenol at once means overwhelming your detox system with toxic build-up in your liver. Tylenol on your liver is like tossing bacon fat down the drain, in small amounts the bacon will flow down the drain and out of the house, but too much will clog the drain and make it difficult for anything else to go through.[iii] [iv]
The 78,000 people who meet the ER every year, and the 33,000 individual who are hospitalized is a testament to how easy it is to overdose. The problem with Tylenol is that the recommended and effective dose of about 3,000 milligrams a day is very close to the amount it takes to overdose which is just above 4,000 milligrams a day.[v] [vi]
Having a little alcohol, or mixing the medication can easily tip the balance in favor of the emergency room. The other problem is that keeping track can be difficult or unimportant when you’re submerged in pain. You might say, “Three to four hours, what’s the difference,” or “it’s such a tiny capsule one or two more couldn’t hurt.” However, these warnings on the label are there for a reason, and the consequences are magnified when you take extra-strength Tylenol.[vii] [viii]
Acetaminophen in Products Other Than Tylenol
The other problem is that you might be mixing medications and don’t realize that almost 400 other products have acetaminophen like the following[ix]:
- Actifed,
- Alka-Seltzer Plus,
- Benadryl,
- Co-Gesic,
- Contac,
- Excedrin,
- Fioricet,
- Lortab,
- Midrin,
- Norco,
- Percocet,
- Robitussin,
- Sedapap,
- Sinutab,
- Sudafed,
- TheraFlu,
- Unisom PM Pain,
- Vick’s Nyquil
- DayQuil,
- Vicodin,
- and Zydone
How to Treat Pain Naturally to Avoid a Tylenol Overdose
So you want to avoid drugs at all cost, except at the cost of feeling more pain? Well, here’s an extensive list of different ways to relieve pain through oil, exercise and different edibles.
- Cannabis Capsules contains two active ingredients in cannabis THC and CBD which work as pain blockers and keep you relaxed.
- Turmeric, coconut oil, and black pepper pill combines the nutrients and acids of all three superfoods to make the ultimate pain killer.
- Epsom Salt is rich in magnesium and sulfates known for easing joint pain, muscle pain, and headaches when these benefits to be absorbed into the skin during a bath.
- Glucosomine helps relieve pain in our joints better than ibuprofen and Aspirin.
- Gelatin for joint and knee pain can help rebuild cartilage when eaten.
- 7 foods to use when you’re menstruating because your body needs vitamins and minerals to help the pain.
- Essential oils like mustard oil, lavender, and juniper are good for your sciatic nerve and back pain.
- Rub essential oils on your temples to get rid of headaches.
- Exercise can help with foot, knee, and lower back pain, as well as arthritis, sciatica, and back pain
- And 10 foods to reduce pain here
Sources:
[i] Zafar A. Acetaminophen ‘is the most common cause of liver injury. Period. Full stop’. CBC News. 2016. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/acetaminophen-toxicity-health-canada-1.3764672. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[ii] Mosbergen D. Tylenol Overdose Risk Is Staggering, Report Says. The Huffington Post. 2013. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/tylenol-overdose_n_3976991.html. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[iii] Zafar A. Acetaminophen ‘is the most common cause of liver injury. Period. Full stop’. CBC News. 2016. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/acetaminophen-toxicity-health-canada-1.3764672. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[iv] Acetaminophen Overdose And Liver Injury — Background And Options For Reducing Injury. 1st ed. FDA; 2009:1. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/…/UCM164897.pdf. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[v] Zafar A. Acetaminophen ‘is the most common cause of liver injury. Period. Full stop’. CBC News. 2016. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/acetaminophen-toxicity-health-canada-1.3764672. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[vi]Mosbergen D. Tylenol Overdose Risk Is Staggering, Report Says. The Huffington Post. 2013. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/tylenol-overdose_n_3976991.html. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[vii] Zafar A. Acetaminophen ‘is the most common cause of liver injury. Period. Full stop’. CBC News. 2016. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/acetaminophen-toxicity-health-canada-1.3764672. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[viii] Mosbergen D. Tylenol Overdose Risk Is Staggering, Report Says. The Huffington Post. 2013. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/tylenol-overdose_n_3976991.html. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[ix] Tylenol Poisoning. WebMD. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tylenol-acetaminophen-poisoning#1-1. Accessed March 21, 2017.
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