Tylenol can be a Painkiller or a Liverkiller

By Prateek Patel

Acetaminophen is a drug that can be found in most of the painkillers worldwide including
Tylenol and another 400 over-the-counter drugs. If used properly and with caution, it will
not be harmful to your health. But overdosing and using more of its pills
than recommended can lead to future problems with your liver. If used properly it can be
safe but overusing the drug can be dangerous.

The drug Acetaminophen is prescribed primarily for: minor aches & pains, viral & bacterial
infections, headache, toothache, strains, sprains, and menstrual cramps. And, it can also be
found in cold, cough, and night time medicines such as NyQuil and Sinutab. Currently the
drug particularly within Tylenol has become the most common cause of liver injury in
Canada. Tylenol is the most popular painkiller in the United States, and around 8 billion
tablets of Tylenol are consumed by around 50 million Americans every year. Tylenol can
create problems with liver enzymes in the blood but will not cause serious liver damage
unless you use more Tylenol than recommended. In Canada, around 4,500 hospitalizations
take place each year, due to overdoses on acetaminophen.

The symptoms of the liver injury depends on how much acetaminophen is consumed and
existent in your blood. However, liver damage can be tied to the excessive use of
acetaminophen and the overuse of its pills such as Tylenol. The recommended maximum
daily limit is 4,000 mg, which is the amount in eight Extra Strength Tylenol and consuming
more than 7,000 mg/day can lead to a serious overdose. The overdoses occurring in Canada
have led to the federal government of Canada to require stricter labelling rules for all
products that contain acetaminophen. So now the question is whether Tylenol and other
painkiller’s benefits outweigh their side effects, and should the government provide more
warning labels and regulations on the use and distribution of the drug?

All drugs and all of the content in these drugs should be known and made readily available
to the public. People deserve to know what they are consuming and the roles of the FDA
and the FTC is to make them aware of this. Warning and regulatory labels
provide additional caution to the users of the drug and puts them more on alert. Currently
many users tend to overdose using around seven to eight tablets of Tylenol a day, and more
warning labels can make people more aware of the negative side effects of Tylenol. The
problem is that because of the positive side effects of the drug, many people tend not to
read warning or regulatory labels even if they are available on the box. But even then, under
the FDA these labels need to be placed as consumers should have the ability to know the
negative side effects and the warnings concerning how many drugs they should take.

Tylenol and other Acetaminophen drugs have many positive side effects as well, they can
help relieve pain and reduce fevers and colds. But by placing some regulations, you
can prevent future liabilities and problems that the consumer may face. Because, nothing is
wrong with these pain killers if they are used properly and with caution. And even though,
the government tends to regulate everything, there are many benefits to having a more
clearly visible label.
Personally, I believe that warning labels and regulations are necessary, but we should use
them with caution. We should allow people to do their own research and determine whether
they would like to consume something or not, and treat them as a “reasonable consumer.”
More regulations do not prevent the use of harmful products, it just leads to them being
more expensive and harmful to the business. But at the same time, if some products like
Tylenol have some negative side effects, consumers should be recommended to use these
drugs in moderation.