I’ve never been able to get a clear answer on whether Tylenol plus alcohol can harm your liver. Though acetaminophen can lead to liver damage when taken in large doses, many questions remain about its short-term dangers, particularly when combined with recreational drinking. Now, the FDA wants some answers . The agency is meeting to determine if and how it should revise its guidelines on acetaminophen, including recommended dosage and the possibility of pulling “combination drugs” like NyQuil from shelves. Here’s why: . . . overdoses of acetaminophen have been linked to 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths

during the 1990s, according to the FDA, citing one study. The agency cited another study, a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention population-based report, that estimated that acetaminophen was the likely cause of most of the estimated 1,600 acute liver failures each year. Especially troubling are products such as NyQuil and Pamprin that aren’t expressly sold as pain relievers but which contain acetaminophen. With those scary statistics, it sounds like it’s high time the FDA addressed this issue. Do you worry about your acetaminophen intake?

Originally posted here:
FDA Takes a Closer Look at Tylenol