Are You Taking Too Much Tylenol®?

You may be at risk for acetaminophen overdose without even knowing it. Staying aware of what medications contain acetaminophen is key to your health.

It’s More Prevalent then you Thought

What do Alka-Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels®, Benadryl®, Dayquil®, Nyquil®, Excedrin®, Midol®, Robitussin®, Sudafed®, Tylenol®, and Zicam® have in common? All of the above listed contain acetaminophen (think Tylenol®!). This is a very short list of what products contain acetaminophen; the complete list contains over 600 medications!

How does it work?

The way acetaminophen works is not entirely clear. What is known about it, however, is it acts as a pain reliever and fever reducer. Most pain relievers work by blocking prostaglandins (naturally occurring chemicals in the body that cause inflammation and fever) throughout the body. Acetaminophen differs from most pain relievers by only blocking those prostaglandins in the central nervous system, which is why acetaminophen does not reduce swelling in, say, a sprained ankle.

Expert Opinion

Since acetaminophen is so popular and in a wide variety of parent medications, patients often unintentionally consume acetaminophen in different forms. To get further clarity on this subject, I stopped in to our Rio pharmacy and talked to my good friend and local pharmacist, Ryan Bender. He explained that acetaminophen was commonly found in what he called “combination products”; products such as Nyquil®, Tylenol Cold & Sinus®, and a lot of children’s products such as “cough and cold” medications.

 

A common tactic patients use is taking different medications for different symptoms; in Ryan’s words: “People will take different things thinking they are for different symptoms; something for runny nose, something for cough, something for nasal congestion, but in reality all of them could potentially have Tylenol® (acetaminophen) in it. And so, they are thinking they are getting different things, in reality they are getting a lot of the same thing.”

 

(Photo courtesy of http://www.balancedhealthblueprint.com)

While I had his attention (he is a busy man!), I asked him who was most at risk for acetaminophen overdose. His response: “Everybody, it really is both a problem for adults and children. This is pretty much anybody who takes anything over the counter for cough and cold.”

So What?                                       

So, what’s all the big fuss about, anyway? What does it matter if we take a bit too much acetaminophen? Well, it doesn’t, unless you care about liver damage, or death. If you’re like me, and care about trivial little things like liver damage and death, you will take the time to read the active ingredients in medications you are preparing to take and will abide by the recommended maximum dosage amounts; and please, be especially cognizant if you are taking multiple medications at one time.

If you have any questions or concerns about medications you are currently taking or are preparing to take, your local Hometown pharmacist is ready and willing to help!

Here is a link to a complete list of medications containing acetaminophen, and other useful information pertaining to the drug: National Library of Medicine - National Institute of Health