Research shows that Tylenol taken with just three alcoholic drinks can poison your liver to the extent you may need a liver transplant. Overdosing with Tylenol or using it in conjunction with other cold and flu remedies can also poison the liver. Acetaminophen overdoses are probably a bigger cause of liver failure than the prescription drug Rezulin which was recently banned for liver poisoning.
Tracking acute liver failure cases in 22 hospitals, researchers linked 38% to acetaminophen. If you include severe liver injury cases (short of liver failure) another 35% are related to acetaminophen. That's 73%! And this is an over-the-counter drug!
To help you understand the seriousness of this, consider the case of the 23-year-old non-drinker. A young man who took Tylenol and codeine for a wrist injury for 10 days followed by over-the-counter acetaminophen for another 10 days. Liver failure ensued and he was dead in a week. This was a healthy, young, teetotaler!
Generally, liver toxicity followed by death will result when 10 to 12 gm of extra-strength acetaminophen tablets are taken (24 tablets). But amounts as small as 4 gm (8 tablets) can be fatal if you've been fasting or drinking alcohol before taking the medication. This is from a drug the general public considers safe.
The following all contain acetaminophen: Tylenol, Percocet, Vicodin, 4-way Cold, Bayer Select Flu Relief, Benedryl Cold, Comtrex Hot Flu Relief, Dristan Cold and Flu, Nyquil Liquicaps, Robitussin Honey Flu, Tylenol Cold and Flu, Vicks Dayquil Liquicaps, Aspirin-Free Excedrin Caplets, Anacin-3, Children's Tylenol Cold, Dorcol Children's Fever and Pain Reducer, Feverall Children's, Infants' Anacin-3, Tylenol Children's Elixir, St. Joseph's Aspirin-Free Fever Reducer for Children.
If caught quickly enough, acetaminophen toxicity can often be treated before severe liver or kidney damage results. Interestingly, the treatment involves the use of (NAC) N-acetylcysteine which is a very closely related chemical derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine. Compared to L-cysteine, the pharmaceutical product NAC is more soluble in water and can more easily be taken as liquid and used as an aerosol.
Both L-cysteine and NAC help neutralize toxins in the liver because they increase glutathione levels. Probably, the biggest difference between NAC and L-cysteine stems from the fact that NAC is patentable and L-cysteine is not. Far more profits can be made by studying and promoting the prescription use of NAC than the over-the-counter amino acid, L-cysteine.
Physicians treating acetaminophen toxicity have found that equal amounts of NAC, if given in time, will often prevent liver toxicity and damage. L-cysteine would most likely provide very similar protection.
The Dallas hospital calculates that the cost of hospitalizing each patient trying to commit suicide with acetaminophen ranges from $600 to $45,000. For each patient with accidental poisoning the cost is $2,200 to $82,000. Keep in mind this is only one hospital out of thousands. How many reports of poisoning from an herb might it take for the FDA to ban it?
L-cysteine has several amazing attributes which have recently come to light. Undoubtedly, this is one of the reasons pharmaceutical companies are now putting enormous pressure on the FDA to take it and other amino acids off the market. Although it is very safe and non-toxic, long-term use and under certain circumstances it may cause a loss of zinc and/or copper. A good multivitamin/mineral, however, should prevent any such problems.