A Tylenol liver failure lawsuit was filed against the drug manufacturer McNeill-PPC (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson). The Tylenol lawsuit alleges side effects of Extra Strength Tylenol caused severe injury to a Wisconsin woman, leaving her with acute liver damage.

Plaintiff Antonia Oelke alleges McNeill-PPC failed to exercise reasonable care to warn consumers of the dangerous side effects of acetaminophen and violated consumer protection laws. The Tylenol liver failure lawsuit notes that the warnings about cases of liver failure from Extra Strength Tylenol were not properly displayed on labeling information.

Oelke claims that she took the drug at appropriate times and in appropriate amounts for therapeutic purposes and followed the recommended daily dose on the label but was hospitalized for acute liver failure after ingesting the drug.

How Does Tylenol Cause Liver Damage?

Because Tylenol is available over-the-counter, a common misconception is that it is not dangerous. For some people, even going slightly over the recommended amount can cause acute liver failure, a condition that can have deadly consequences. Liver damage is the most serious side effect of Tylenol and can be fatal.

After someone takes Tylenol, the drug is primarily metabolized in the liver. Under normal conditions, the liver eliminates acetaminophen and its byproducts without a problem. When too much acetaminophen builds up in the liver, the pathways to eliminate these compounds can overload. When this happens, the body uses another pathway in the liver, called the cytochrome P-450 system, to remove these byproducts. P-450 processes these byproducts but creates a toxic compound called NAPQI.

Symptoms of Tylenol Liver Damage

The early symptoms of liver damage are often vague and include loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, and can initially mistaken for other ailments, like the flu. More serious symptoms include abdominal pain, convulsions, diarrhea, irritability, jaundice, and coma. Other signs of liver damage may include:

• Dark colored urine
• Clay colored stools
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)

 FDA Warns Tylenol Can Cause Liver Damage

In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidelines for adding overdose guidelines to Tylenol packages and in 2011, the agency confirmed the link between Tylenol and liver damage. In October 2013, Johnson & Johnson added a warning to the caps of bottles of Extra Strength Tylenol warning consumers that the drug contains acetaminophen and may cause liver failure. Severe liver damage from the drug led people to file Tylenol lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and/or McNeil.

The Tylenol Liver Failure Lawsuit is Antonia Oelke. v. McNeil-PPC Inc., et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-02180-LS, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.