Not sure if you heard but during this past week, Johnson & Johnson (who owns Tylenol), is lowering its recommended dosage of its key ingredient, acetaminophen, in its Extra Strength Tylenol to prevent accidental overdose because it causes liver failure. So, in the fall of 2011, Tylenol will pull its current dosage of Extra Strength Tylenol and replace it with recommend daily dose of six pills, or 3,000 milligrams, down from eight pills, or 4,000 milligrams.
Um, does this concern you? Did you catch the LIVER failure part?
The creators have said it themselves, taking Tylenol can lead you to liver failure! Growing up, my family rarely ingested medicine, and I hope to keep it this way since I don't know why I would take a medicine that might cause me liver failure? Whether liver failure of a little or a lot. Maybe if I were dying or at risk of heart failure or something else catastrophic and the question became, would you like to save your liver or heart first?
But, we're talking about Tylenol here, a medicine that is marketed and viewed as "safe" and some people take on a regular basis. Tread at your own risk!!
Medicine in urgent situations, ok I get, and would take if I absolutely needed to (and have), but the next time I get a headache, I won't be reaching for this medicine!
I much rather have real food as my medicine.
“Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
- Hippocrates, 400 BC
Source: http://www.thirdage.com/news/tylenol-lowers-recommended-daily-dose_07-30-2011
2 comments:
yes, definitely I think Tylenol has long had a too benign image in the general public despite it's potential to cause liver failure. But you need to ingest QUITE a lot to get to that point (excluding any pre-existing liver damage) like a minimum of 20 caplets of tylenol acutely. It's seen more in people trying to end their lives. But if used correctly at the recommended dose, I think it's okay, and we do prescribe it all the time in the hospital.
Hi Jeanie! Thanks for the comment from a doctor's perspective :)
I think it would be helpful to make consumers more aware from a marketing perspective, especially what the accumulated impact is, which may or may not be possible to test for.
Thanks for the comment! I tried commenting on your blog but it wouldn't let me...might be something wrong with my google identity...
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