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From: sdyer@bbnccv.UUCP (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Ibupropen (sic)
Message-ID: <56@bbnccv.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Mar-85 18:15:17 EST
Article-I.D.: bbnccv.56
Posted: Fri Mar 29 18:15:17 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 31-Mar-85 03:27:23 EST
References: <510@ssc-vax.UUCP>, <453@terak.UUCP> <1017@hound.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 30
Keywords: acetaminophen, liver damage

Acetaminophen and its metabolites are detoxified by the liver.
There seems to be a hepatotoxic metabolite produced which is
very short-lived in healthy adults, but which accumulates when
the liver is overwhelmed by an overdose.  In the clinical syndrome,
the patient appears to make a rapid recovery, but in the space of
24-72 hours the liver begins to fail, leading quickly to coma and
death.

I believe that there has been some success in finding drugs which
can prevent acetaminophen-induced liver damage in an overdose if
given early in the treatment.

This behavior doesn't scale down to the ordinary everyday tablet or
two for headache.  There, for most people, acetaminophen has very
few side-effects.  I don't know about people with preexisting
liver damage; certainly they should consult their physician about
taking ANY drug at all.

> []
> Tell us more about acetomenophen (Tylenol) being "hazardous to
> the liver."
> 
> -- 
> 
> "It's the thought, if any, that counts!"  Dick Grantges  hound!rfg

-- 
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbnccv.ARPA