Acetaminophen Acute Liver-Failure Culprit

Overdoses of OTC painkiller Tylenol and other acetaminophen drugs cause 40 percent to 50 percent of yearly U.S. acute liver failures.

So concluded University of Michigan researchers Monday, saying that nearly half of those overdoses are unintentional.

Patients should not take even a little more of these drugs than what is recommended in a 24-hour period, the researchers said.

My overall recommendation for people using Tylenol is that it is a safe drug, said Robert Fontana, associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. However, like most other things in life, too much of a good thing can be bad for you.

An adult should not take more than eight Tylenol Extra Strength pills, which contain 500 milligrams per tablet, in a 24-hour period, he said.

Going over that limit could cause inadvertent liver or kidney damage in some people, Fontana said.

He noted that damage occurs acutely rather than chronically, meaning it isn’t the dosage of the medicine taken over several weeks that is the problem, it is the daily dose that may lead to liver toxicity.