New Investigation into Tylenol Safety Reveals Liver Damage, Death Risk

New Investigation into Tylenol Safety Reveals Liver Damage, Death Risk

By Courtney Coren

If there is one lesson to be learned from the recent report that acetaminophen causes at least 150 Americans to die each year, it is to always follow  the instructions. It should be noted that acetaminophen is an active ingredient in Tylenol.

There is a very fine line between what is considered a safe dosage of medications like Tylenol containing acetaminophen and what is considered harmful. All that someone needs to take to put himself or herself at risk for an adverse reaction to Tylenol is 25 percent more than what is the recommended daily dose. For Extra Strength Tylenol that means only two more pills a day on top of the maximum eight pills that are recommended to be at risk for serious liver damage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required that drug companies making prescription drugs containing acetaminophen  to include warnings about the dangers associated with the pain reliever saying that “acetaminophen has been associated with cases of acute liver failure, at times resulting in liver transplant and death.” Johnson & Johnson has fought adding similar warnings to the over-the-counter versions and has instead worked towards developing an acetaminophen antidote that the company claims has “saved many lives.”

Accidental overdose of Tylenol has caused 150 Americans to die each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. The number might be conservative because 55,000 to 80,000 Tylenol users every year are sent to the emergency room due to overdosing on the popular pain reliever.

Acetaminophen is used in over 600 other over-the-counter products including popular brands such as Nyquil cold medicine and Sudafed sinus medication. Someone could inadvertently take additional acetaminophen while battling an illness, not realizing that the medicine they just took already contains some.

There are 85 lawsuits against Tylenol drug maker Johnson & Johnson saying that the pain reliever is responsible for liver injuries and death. The Tylenol lawsuits were consolidated into multi-district litigation in April 2013 in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The Tylenol lawsuits accuses Johnson & Johnson, maker of Tylenol, with failing to adequately warn about the risk of liver damage or liver failure associated with the pain medication.

The FDA is also currently in the process of drafting new safety measures that could limit how much Tylenol and other acetaminophen products are used.

Most of the concern lies with the “extra-strength” versions of Tylenol due to the potency of the pills. Two Extra Strength Tylenol pills contains 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen. By comparison, regular strength contains 650 milligrams. However, the extra strength version is so preferred by consumers that many drug stores don’t even carry the regular strength.

Johnson & Johnson says that the warning label does not mean that the popular pain reliever is no longer safe, but that consumers need to be wary of overuse and to always follow the dosage recommendations.

However, at least one study has been published that showed six consumers who took recommended dose of the pain reliever experienced major liver damage even though they did not overdose.

If you or someone you know have experienced Tylenol side effects like liver failure or liver damage, legal options are available to you. Learn more and get a free legal consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Tylenol Liver Damage, Stevens Johnson Syndrome Lawsuit Investigation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether or not a Tylenol played a role in your liver damage or other serious side effects, so act now.