Don’t Be a Victim of Acetaminophen Poisoning
People who are in considerable pain, will often do anything they can to make the pain go away. Some make the mistake of thinking that taking more acetaminophen will reduce their pain faster and make it stay away longer than the recommended dosage does. Little do these people know, however, having too much acetaminophen in your system can lead to other serious health problems. Just by taking a double dose of acetaminophen, you are subjecting your liver to a possibly lethal dose, which could lead to liver failure. People who are in pain don’t realize the consequences of taking too much medicine, they just want something to help them now. Thousands of people each year are being hospitalized for acetaminophen overdose, and hundreds die each year, not from intentionally overdosing, but misuse.
A common cause for this problem is that acetaminophen is found in most pain relievers on the market today. Many people will take Tylenol, then an hour or so later, turn around and take a different pain killer, not realizing they are taking a double dose of basically the same ingredients. Many diseases and conditions cause chronic pain, such as arthritis, migraines, lupus, even down to the simple cold and flu that we all fall victim to at one time or another. In the search for something to lessen the pain and make day to day living more bearable, many people will inadvertently feed too much acetaminophen into their systems. It is important to understand that just because you may take a different type of pain killer, it is still likely to have the same active ingredients as the one you took before that didn’t work. Taking larger doses will not lessen the pain any faster than a normal dose.
Some people are more susceptible to the side effects caused by many medicines than others. Even a normal dosage of acetaminophen can sometimes lead these people straight to the emergency room. It is important to keep in mind the effects that medicine have on you individually, before you start popping pills.
It is a good idea to start reading the labels of any medicine you are considering taking, especially to find out what the active ingredients are. You are probably better off not mixing over the counter pain relievers, just pick one that works for you and follow the recommended dosage. Avoid the temptation to take more thinking it will work better, as odds are high that it will do more harm to your system than good. If you are a person who suffers from chronic daily pain, you should see your doctor for recommendations on what to do to help alleviate it, rather than taking treatment into your own hands with over the counter products.
