Why do they put so much acetaminophen in painkillers??? Are they trying to kill us?

Question

I'm currently taking Darvocet for a bulging disc in my back and each pill has 650mg of acetaminophen in it!!! Now, I only need them when I am working my other job because I wait tables at night and the lifting and bending is bothersome and I usually need 2 to get rid of the pain. Now, suppose I want a drink after work like I often do. My poor liver!!!! Now, we all know that we take pain killers for the narcotic in them, right? Has anyone gotten rid of their pain with tylenol alone? Damn, tylenol won't even get rid of a headache for me. It's practically useless as far as I'm concerned.

So, what's the point of putting so much of it in painkillers? Is it simply to make sure drug addicts don't go crazy on it like they do with Oxycoctin? Does tylenol alone actually work for anybody? And If I take 2 darvocets at a time, will it kill me eventually?

Answer 1

I don't know why they do it, but they do. I have been on Norco-10 for over 3 years now (2 pills 3xday). It is basically the same thing, (Hydrocodone) but it only has 325mg of aspirin with the 10mg of hydrocodone. My pain specialist has done liver function tests, and they all have come back normal. As long as you keep your doctor appointments, and have your liver checked at least once a year, you shouldn't have to worry about taking 2 darvocets once in a while or about having the occasional drink, I have one every now and then, but by no means should you drink alcohol on a regular basis.

Answer 2

Well, if the darvocets you are taking has 650 Mg's of acetaminophen in them and Tylenol has 500 you could get rid of your pain with Tylenol....I take 3, 500mg tablets of Tylenol when I get cramps.... It depends on if you have a healthy liver or not..If you drink more that 3 (I think) alcoholic beverages a day you are not supposed to take acetaminophen...But, like you are doing, you should take them as necessary..I don't think it would kill you..but I'm sure you could get liver damage if you took large doses for an very extended period of time...(many many many years.) Alcohol causes liver damage and my mom has been an alcoholic for as long as I can remember (12 pk or more a day). She is still alive.
Also, the larger the dose, the harsher it is on your liver.. Me being 95lbs and taking 1500 mg at a time for my cramps probably isn't very smart. But if I take less it does nothing for me and I don't drink... You should take the minimal dose you can to get the pain relief..

Answer 3

1) Tylenol is added to narcotics becuase it has shown to provide added pain relief.
2) At times Tylenol by itself is effective. If you have chronic pain and you enjoy a drink or two per day, take 2 extra strenght Tylenol every 8 hours (not just when you have pain)
3) Studies have shown that Darvocet is no more effective than Tylenol alone and has unecessary side effects.
4) Your doctor could try: Utracet or Norco 5/325. Both have much lower doses of Tylenol and I believe will provide you with safer and more complete relief.

Answer 4

HEY....I don't understand the big deal. Ask your doctor to change your medication to Darvon 65 or Darvon N. It is the same medicine as in Darvocet...propoxyphene (65 mg & 100mg in the N sersion) but NO acetaminophen.

Have you explained to your MD your concern? Of course drinking on any product with propoxyphene can be dangerous. Several years ago several deaths were connected to social drinkers who died after taking Darvon.

Your doctor might want the Tylenol component to help with inflamation. But you can always ask about Darvon 65 Darvon N...but I would be careful about telling him about drinking....a negative with any pain killer. But stress your concern with kidney damage. Heck Darvon is an old drug....meaning it was available before Darvocet was.

It's up to you but an alternative isout there.

Answer 5

Based on the info you put in a question you answered, You are also taking Percucet (Illegally), You really need to be careful taking medication that isn't prescribed to you.. Percucet is a very strong drug. If not taken properly you can severely damage the lining in your stomach and your liver as well.. You should limit the amount of pain killers you take, I know the pain can get brutal but the down side is the more you take the more your body builds a immune system against them and in result you constantly are increasing your dosage. I say deal with the pain until you absolutely can't bare it anymore and then take it in moderation.

Answer 6

Acetaminophen prolongs the effects of the painkillers. It makes them last longer and helps them to be more effective. Hopefully, you will not need to take them as often and will be able to get off of them quicker this way.

Answer 7

That put that high of dosage in the pain killers so it will get rid of the pain. That is why tylenol doesn't do any good for you anymore your body is to use to it .... the darvocets have way higher dosage and that is why it is effective.

Tylenol might work for some people it just depends everyone is different. If the darvocets was harmful to your health you doctor would not of prescribed them and if you are concerned about it you should call and talk to you doctors nurse. She will probably be able to answer your questions and if not she will have you doctor call you back personaly

Answer 8

you might want to talk to your doctors about changing your meds up to keep you from getting too used to them. My cousin nearly died from having an accidental tylenol overdose. Now she has a new liver and severe brain damage. it was from taking the headache tylenol while on a painkiller with tylenol in it, and just not being careful with the doses.

Answer 9

Gee, crackie, only time will tell...