and other drugs ARE very dangerous. I have been told for years that tylenol causes liver damage and to use it infrequently. I remember me using this for a toothache for a long time to alleviate the pain. Not to mention a backache.

I am not only warning about tylenol but all over the counter drugs and health food store drugs are dangerous to our systems.

NORMAN, Okla. -- A University of Oklahoma student died of an acetaminophen overdose, authorities said, weeks after she started taking the over-the-counter medication for a toothache.


Madalyn Byrne, 19, was taking as many as nine Tylenol per day for several weeks. She died Monday at Integris Baptist Medical Center of liver damage and cardiac arrest after her roommate found her sick Sunday morning.


"On Friday (she was a) perfectly healthy girl, and on Monday afternoon, she's dead," said Evelyn Byrne, the teenager's mother.

She said that if her daughter could say anything to her, it would be to help make sure this type of overdose doesn't happen again.

"The truth is any chemical that you put in your body -- and that includes anything sold in a natural food store -- in certain conditions can be very dangerous," said Dr. Harlan Wright, from Integris Baptist Medical Center.

Wright explained that acetaminophen builds up and begins a process that can poison the liver and he estimates that Byrne's liver was damaged for several days.

"Even if you use adequate dosage, if you add even a small amount of alcohol, it can be extremely dangerous to the liver," said Dr. Nicolas Jabbour, also of the Integris Baptist Medical Center.

Byrne was on the dean's list at OU and was a member of the marching band. She was majoring in music education and Spanish.

This is not the first time I have heard of liver poisoning from meds. We take these things for granted now days. Always make sure you know what can happen to you when taking these meds. Mixing with alcohol is deadly and we may not know it til it is too late.

Kat

Very sad indeed....

i can only use tylenol, i cant use anything else. i have a pacemaker, and tylenol doesnt interfer with the thinning of the blood

My heart goes out to her family.

geeez i have demerol and df118 in massive doses.


long term use of paracetomal will cause liver damage, any pain killer will. unfortuantely some of us have no choice but to take them.

You can use other pain relievers other than tylenol. My dad had a heart valve replaced, has a pacemaker as well and uses a variety of of different pain meds.

just like to add liver damage can happen without alcohol.

My Dr. is always lecturing about the dangers of Tylenol. He tells me to never take over the recommended dosage and to not take it everyday.

we dont have tylenol in the uk, what actually is in it??

Acetaminophen - Over the counter pain reliever.

right i see, you can buy paracetomal, codeine, dihydrocodeine here over the counter. i persume its similar to those??

I have also read about sudden liver failure, from too much. I don't hve it in the house. I take an Advil, if I'm really sick or in pain, but those can cause stomach bleeding.

We sure can't get those over the counter!

It's more in the line of aspirin and anti-inflammatories.

About 10 years ago I was taking alot of Motrin and got three ulcers from it. Now I'm advised not to take
anti-inflammatories.

So Tylenol is all that I can take.

Each has to do what's right for them. I feel lucky, cuz right now I don't have pain, but have sooo been there!

Nope deb, acetaminophen is a synthetic form of aspirin. But aspirin, warafin and others of that family thin blood. Acetaminophen doesn't.

Warafin is rat poison.

we can buy 7mg of codeine phosphate over the counter per tablet, and 7mg of dihydrocodeine per tablet over the counter, there very low doses.you can buy 400mg of ibrufen and aspirin, and sumitriptan/imigran. i take 60mg of dihydrocodeine in one go 4 times a day with demerol.


theres a pain killer here called co-proxamal, the dosage is 2 tablets 4 times a day, but the dosage it takes to work, which i just stated is virtually the overdose limit,and lots of people died. that was banned, then put back on the market, and according to my BNF its now back available on prescription. i used to take them all the time before they were banned. its the same with aminophyllin i use for my asthma the dosage it takes to work, is neally at overdose level.

right i see. so its not a strong pain killer then. does it reduce fevers??

Tylenol and mountain dew soda is a deadly cocktail. Shut your liver off.