How many people overdose on acetaminophen each year?
Your liver is one of the most important organs in your body, and the largest in your abdomen. Its reddish color is due to its ability to contain a pint of blood at any one time. Every time we eat, breathe, drink or absorb anything, the liver is responsible for detoxifying, integrating, secreting, storing, digesting and many other processes to provide a homeostasis or balance to the rest of your body. When your liver fails, all of the many wonderful things it does for your body fails too; the body goes out of balance, out of whack, and you will die. Several diseases lead to chronic liver failure, the major one being alcohol abuse. However, sometimes your liver becomes sick and dies suddenly. This is known as acute liver failure. The most common form of acute liver failure is Tylenol overdosing. A longer, but more scientific name for Tylenol is acetaminophen. The longer name is important as most drugs which contain Tylenol, do not contain the word Tylenol, but Acetaminophen; therefore, i
Acetaminophen is an ingredient in Tylenol, Excedrin and NyQuil. While the drugs provide relief from everday aches and pains, accidental overdoses of acetaminophen may cause severe liver damage. The FDA is asking experts can be done to prevent accidental overdoses of acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the United States. Sources: http://www.google.
