Max Smith, wtop.com
UNDATED – If you take Tylenol, you need to know that taking even a little bit more than you’re supposed to can have serious consequences.
British researchers say staggered overdoses of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can be even more dangerous than overdoses taken all at once. That’s because it’s not always as obvious to doctors what happened, and people might wait longer to go to the hospital.
Acetaminophen can damage the liver when taken too often or in high doses, and the researchers say it’s the leading cause of acute liver failure in North America and Europe.
The researchers defined an overdose as taking more than 4,000 milligrams a day in the week before a patient came into the hospital. That would be more than eight Extra Strength Tylenol pills in 24 hours.
If a patient took the dose all at once, he was more likely to get the prompt treatment needed, avoiding a liver transplant or death.
The limit — 4,000 mg — is the same one the National Institutes of Health recommends for adults in the U.S. It’s also what Tylenol recommends in its directions.
Children should take even less, but the exact amount depends on the child’s age, so check the medicine’s label for directions or talk to your child’s doctor.
The NIH recommendations also suggest talking to your doctor about taking the drug if you drink three or more alcoholic beverages in a day.
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