Fibromyalgia Support Group

Tylenol is also the worst thing to take for a hangover.

vicodin is the same thing
acetamenophen spelt it wrong but ya !

I try not to listen to that stuff. People have been taking Tylenol for over 50 years and all of a sudden now people are dying of liver failure? I'm not buying it.

This is one of those things you get when you have 24-hour news and nothing much is happening - get people excited about something they didn't know they needed to care about.

I'll keep taking my Vicodin thanks - and my hubby can't take anything BUT Tylenol due to his gastric bypass - like a lot of other people - so I guess we'll not be throwing it out quite yet.

Don't root for the FDA to take any action on this - they're already all too happy to mess with our pain meds - let's not give them any encouragement. The last people we need making our medical decisions are the feds.

did know of tylenol problem-hubby broke his back in car accident in 1996 and has been on vicodin ever since. he has to have liver checked regularly because of acetamenophrine(?)thats mixed with codiene in the vicodin. i've always thought it strange that the tylenol was more dangerous than the codiene,even though the codiene is stronger. also don't understand the need for the mix(maybe inflammation?)and wish they would find something that could give him the same effect w/o tylenol. i know he's used to them and can be stubborn, so they may have given him another option that i don't know about. thankfully his blood work has been fine to date but i do still worry about it and limit how much i take. have never taken it on a daily basis for any length of time because of these warnings, but will absolutely take it when i need it. glad you posted this-THANKS!

The key to avoid toxic levels of it, like with anything else dont over use it or take more than the max dose. it is very toxic to your liver. And I'm with peace on this one, will continue to use my pain med that has acethominaphin in it, yes I know that I misspelled it, if you get your liver enzymes checked via blood test it will show you if eveeyting is ok or not. Lost of drugs are hard or toxic for the liver. Ambien and also diflucan the drug that is used to treat yeast infections, again the key is NOT to take too much of the med ie more than the amount that was prescribed by your dr.

The reason why I think there is so much hype about this because people are not reading labels.

Think about it. Someone is sick. They reach for some tylenol for their headache. Then, they run to the drug store to get something for the nasty cough and stuffy nose. They reach for something like Nyquil which has acetaminophen in it. And they instantly OD on it. They do this for a couple of days w/out thinking about it and they get really sick.

Years ago, one would take asprin for their headaches. Or just plain old cough syrup. Its just recently (maybe since the 80s) that they started adding a ton of other combinations to cough / cold meds.

It's more of a public awareness announcement than anything else.
But that's my opinion.

It is true that acetaminophen (tylenol) taken regularly, and over long periods of time can cause liver damage. I had to take a lot of pain meds in high school when my serious migraines started. I had to have a blood test to check my organ function once a month. Tylenol is safe - but when taken as over-the-counter meds are meant to be taken - 2-4 pills with a bad headache or cramps and then you don't touch the bottle for weeks over months. It's really not meant to be a long term thing - but then again neither is any other pain med. Is it dangerous used for normal aches, headaches, and cramps occassionally, no. But, used regularly, it needs to be monitored by a physician (blood work) so that it doesn't become dangerous. I'm not for the FDS regulating over-the-counter meds but I am for people understanding that just b/c you can buy it at Walgreen's doesn't mean that it's completely safe, with no risks, or that you can take any quantity. Too many Tums can cause problems, too!!! It's all meant to be used in moderation for a short-term issue - anything more than that reqiures the care of a good dr.!!

You are all right - it's a public awareness problem - it's a label-reading problem - it's a common sense problem.

Even though I know that it's self-serving, I've been happy to see the Celebrex people (I think) advertising that ALL NSAIDS have side effects to be aware of - not just the prescription meds.

I believe there really is a common belief that because something is OTC it's completely safe and no worries. People obsess over the calorie count, fat content, carbs, and all that for the food they eat, but will pretty much put anything in their mouths when it comes to meds.

I agree with Peace - it's public awareness. People just don't know things or they don't remember and have to be told every now and then.

Rule of thumb is to take the recommended amount and no more unless your doc says - and even then you might question it.

I've had friends and acquaintences who have overdone and even backed the over-the-counter stuff or even someone else's prescription up with alcohol. It's a dangerous game.

A number of these same people are now calling me up and telling me about their troubles with their pancreas, liver or some other organ. Some of them are dead. I think you're playing with fire if you do this.

If the recommended dose isn't doing it for you, find something else. Have you tried boswellia?

I already take a med that make me need liver checks. And I find that I am hypersensitive (i think that is the word) to Tylenol related products as they make my sleep really hard once I can get to sleep. I also have trouble waking up completely after a night where I took 1 Tylenol. Half of one can have me sleeping for 8 hours straight, with some wakeful moments but not enough to wake me up completely.

But hey, at least I am asleep. And for a little bit the pain is gone!

I mostly take OTC Motrin, to calm some of the pain. Tylenol for extreme nights.

Hugs