Tylenol Liver Damage: Patients Must Be Aware of Products Containing Acetaminophen

Palm City, FLFollowing a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement that it was taking precautions to reduce the risk of Tylenol liver damage and other acetaminophen toxicity, news has come out about at least one man who reportedly died following acetaminophen toxicity.

The victim, Mark Erdman, was a 49-year-old man—reportedly in good health—who developed a toothache. According to WPTV News (03/21/11), Erdman did not have health insurance, so he self-medicated with generic Tylenol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen. After Erdman became ill, he went to the hospital, where his wife was told he had liver and kidney failure due to the acetaminophen. Erdman was declared brain dead before doctors could perform a liver transplant.

In January 2011, the FDA issued a warning about the risks associated with too much acetaminophen. Those risks include liver damage and death. Because of concern about the risk of liver failure, the FDA announced that it was requiring makers of prescription acetaminophen products to limit the amounts of acetaminophen to 325 milligrams per tablet or capsule and to include a boxed warning about the risk of severe liver injury.

The requirements from the FDA only apply to prescription acetaminophen products; over-the-counter products, such as Tylenol, have already been required to change dosage labels to include a warning about the risk of liver injury.

Part of the problem for some consumers, however, is that they may take multiple products containing acetaminophen without realizing it. Even if a patient only takes the recommended dose of two acetaminophen products, that could put her over the daily recommended limit, putting her at risk of liver failure.

Many products in addition to Tylenol contain acetaminophen or acetaminophen in combination with another medication—and acetaminophen is broken down by the liver. Too much acetaminophen being processed by the liver can cause serious liver damage. Products containing acetaminophen can be as varied as cold medication, pain relievers and fever medications.

Patients who think they may have accidentally ingested too much acetaminophen should seek medical attention as quickly as possible. By the time symptoms appear, the liver could already have been permanently affected. Symptoms of acetaminophen overdose include nausea, vomiting, tiredness, decreased appetite and abdominal pain.