Is taking acetaminophen bad for you?

Question

I have a bad headache but don't want to take any Tylenol because I heard that you can get addicted to it in a sense and soon it won't have any effect on you- you will have to take stronger medicine. Is that true?

Answer 1

No, you can not get addicted to acetaminophen.

However, it is very hard on your liver. You should not take more than 4000 milligrams in a day (8 extra strength Tylenol).

The American Liver Association came out with a report a few months ago that says people who are on long term acetaminophen therapy (also called APAP) should limit themselves to 2500 milligrams a day.

If the acetaminophen isn't giving you relief, call your doctor. He or she should be able to suggest another medicine to try and they can check you out to see if the headache is being caused by something that can be treated with other medicaitions (not necessarily pain medicines.)

Also, if your headache is accompanied by a stiff neck, nausea or a high fever...seek medical help. These could be signs of a more serious condition.

Answer 2

In simple words too much acetaminophen will cause toxicity to the liver which can be damaging. 2gm of tylenol equals 4 500mg capsules a day, but you can take 4 doses of Tylenol a day of 2 capsules at a time. I wouldn`t do this for more than 3 days. You should drink 1 full glass of water when taking acetaminophen. Do not drink alcohol when taking acetaminophen as both are metabolized in the liver making the acetaminophen toxic.

Answer 3

That's called tolerance, when you've been taking a drug for a while and it stops having an effect, so you have to take a higher dose or take something else. It happens when you are taking a drug regularly for a long time. Taking tylenol once in a while for a bad headache shouldn't build tolerance, and I don't think tylenol usually has this tolerance effect anyway. I'd say go ahead and take some, and feel better.

Answer 4

Acetaminaphen is fine for pain releif, hoever it can be poisonous if you take too much. Do not overdose yourself, taking more than the reccommended amount or more often than reccommended. You can not get addicted to Tylenol, its effect on you does not diminish.Since Tylenol is not an asprin product, you can take a dose of asprin at the alternate 4 hour intervals with Tylenol.(Like T at 8, A at10, T at 12 , A at 2) for a headache try caffeine.

Answer 5

There is no truth whatsoever to that silly idea. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is very good for minor pain relief and works well with fever. There is no addiction factor to Tylenol. Pay attention to the next statement.

Tylenol can be extremely damaging to your liver if used in excess of directions. If you need more than the recommended amount of Tylenol or need it more often than recommended, you should talk with you MD. Tylenol is a safe medication when used properly.

Answer 6

No. That is absolutely not true.

Do not take more than the recommended dose of Tylenol. It can damage the liver or the stomach lining.

Answer 7

The average adult person should not exceed 2 g/day for any length of time. It is true that after taking a drug for any length of time allows your liver to "crank" out more and more of the enzyme used in metabolizing it, thereby, causing the efficacy to dwindle. AKA "tolerance" factor. Unless it has CSO4 (codeine) added to it, it is not addictive. Watch for hepatotoxicity and drug interactions with barbituarates, carbamazepine, hydantoins, rifampin, sulfinpyrazone. Taking it with ETOH (alcohol) of course could also cause hepatotoxicity.

Answer 8

Follow the directions on the bottle and only when you need it not because you just want to.

Answer 9

Take aspirin or naproxim sodium(brand name Aleve) works well.

Answer 10

No. As long as you don't take a whole bottle (overdose) you can munch it anytime you have a pain or a headache.