Acetaminophen is a simple molecule. It was first recognized in the late 1800s and then roughly 50 years later it was found to have analgesic (pain relieving) properties. Acetaminophen was released as an over-the-counter medication in the United States in 1950. Billions of pills have been sold since then, and the drug companies have diligently tried to keep acetaminophen’s dirty little secret out of the public eye. That dirty little secret is that under certain circumstances acetaminophen may cause acute liver failure and death.
The liver is a vital organ that is essential for life. One of the liver’s main functions is to break down chemicals, including drugs. Every time you take acetaminophen, it is metabolized by your liver and broken down into other chemicals. A certain portion of the drug is metabolized into a toxic by-product known as NAPQI. Usually, this toxic by-product is quickly broken down into a non-toxic chemical, but under certain circumstances, too much NAPQI may accumulate, which results in liver damage or complete liver failure.
If acute liver failure occurs, a person either dies or must receive a liver transplant promptly. Patients who receive liver transplants usually still have many medical issues to deal with. They will generally spend weeks or months in the hospital, require extensive follow-up care and may experience coma, decreased blood pressure, and even irreversible brain damage. Our Tylenol group has represented individuals with all of these unfortunate and devastating conditions.
