Tylenol - Paracetamol, - how much is too much?

Question

hello. I read up on paracetamol (acetaminophen) on Wiki, since I have a cold. I took 2 at around 4 pm yesterday, 500 mg each, the recommended dosage for an adult), 2 this morning at 6 am, and have not taken any more. - in other words in the last 28 hours I've had 2 grams. I weigh 176 lbs, and am 24 years old. I think another two at around 10 pm tonight should be fine, but I want to make sure...... - Thoughts?

Answer 1

You should not take over 4000mgs a day. (4 grams) Then it becomes unsafe for the liver, you might get signs of gout. (Yellow skin etc) This will be noticeable after long term use.

Answer 2

4000mg per days is the highest dose of paracetamol any adult should take, however always watch for signs of paracetamol overdose which can occur with as little as 3000mg. This can happen when the paracetamol sticks in the first phase which is normally the forst hour and if it happens you will find you feel very unwell. Just be aware of what you are taking and you should be fine within the doses you are talking about.
Good luck, hope you feel better soon!

Answer 3

Offhand, I would say that you are well within the safety limits of Tylenol dosing. The limits would ordinarily be clearly described on the bottle.

People may think that Tylenol is safer than aspirin, and at regular doses it is, but Tylenol overdosage is the most common cause of liver failure requiring a transplant. Acetominophen is also one of the ingredients in some drugs like Vicodin, and a person could get into trouble by not knowing that they were taking way too much.

Answer 4

What's wrong with simply following the recommended dosage on the bottle instead of worry about total grams. Taking any more than 1000mg every six hours is a waste of the drug....more than that won't metabolize...and over time can adversely effect the kidneys.

Answer 5

max dose in a 24 hour period is 4,000mg or 4gms