Acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol or APAP in prescription drugs, is widely used for its ability to reduce aches and pains such as headaches, arthritis, cold symptoms and fever. Once in the body, this medication is absorbed by the small intestine and gets disseminated throughout the body. Tylenol then is passed to the liver where it is combined with other compounds that are easily excreted (removed) with urine. Because of its wide use, Tylenol is misconceived as being harmless, which is not accurate.
Elevated Enzymes
The liver is a vital organ of the body. It takes vitamins, sugars and fat from ingested food and oversees levels of chemicals in the body. It is of major importance in terms of removing toxins from the body by breaking toxic substances down and then regulating the disposal of such waste products from the circulatory system. The metabolism of alcohol is one essential function of the liver; thus, abuse of alcoholic substances or drugs can harm the liver. When liver problems occur, for example, waste products reach toxic levels that the liver cannot handle and blood liver enzyme levels rise, indicating the presence of possible liver disease or dysfunction. Overuse of Tylenol can negatively affect the liver as seen in abnormal liver enzyme levels. According to Tylenol.com, a research study found increases in a liver enzyme in a group of people who were taking the maximum daily dose, that is, 4 grams within 24 hours.
Liver Injury
Taking more medication than the recommended dose is unsafe with any drug, and Tylenol is no exception. Ingesting Tylenol beyond the recommended dosage can result in serious injury to the liver, especially if consistently combined with alcoholic beverages over a period of time. Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises that no Tylenol should be taken if more than three alcoholic beverages per day are consumed. This is because this amount of alcohol per day over the long term can result in alcohol-induced-liver disorder (ALD) alone, much less when combined with the toxic effects of abusing Tylenol.
Liver Failure
The uneducated public tends to view Tylenol as safe despite the listed and recommended safe dosages. Yet, as indicated by Online Lawyer Source, an estimated 56,000 injuries and 25,000 hospitalizations are due to what is called Tylenol poisoning or toxicity each year; moreover, there are approximately 450 deaths yearly involving irreversible acute liver failure occur. In June of 2009, the FDA issued an advisory demanding that pharmaceutical manufacturers of all products containing acetaminophen add warnings labels about the potential for liver damage.
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