Pain pills & liver damage
A recent post from Liz underscores a hidden danger of abusing pain pills.
Most pain pills also contain acetaminophen, or Tylenol(TM); some 1/3 of a gram; most contain 1/2 gram, and others 3/4 gram.
The maximum daily recommended dose of Tylenol is 4 grams / day. If you regularly drink alcohol that number is lower (see below).
According to published literature, the minimum toxic dose of Tylenol is 7.5 - 10 grams / day. For example, if you consume fifteen to twenty (15-20) Vicodin or Lortabs with 500 mg. of Tylenol you are taking a toxic amount and risking big problems from the Tylenol, not to forget the opioid.
Here's a simplified explanation of how it works:
The liver is responsible for detoxifying the blood and metabolizing most drugs. In a healthy liver, the Tylenol is broken down harmlessly. The liver stores a substance called glutathione which it uses to metabolize the Tylenol.
However, if the store of glutathione is low, or the liver is overwhelmed by too much Tylenol, the breakdown products include a toxin that kills liver cells. If too many cells are killed, liver failure occurs. Also, alcohol competes for the same store of glutathione, so drinking alcohol and taking Tylenol at the same time is doubly dangerous.
A Tylenol overdose can be fatal. There are remedies available if treated within 24 hours of injestion. The most popular remedy is NAC, or n-acetylcysteine, branded Mucomyst. NAC restores levels of glutathione so the liver can properly process the Tylenol. But it is nasty stuff, full of sulfur and very foul-smelling. However, it is much better than the alternative . . . .
If caught right away, many hospitals will give the patient a slurry of activated charcoal to absorb the poison.
My own physician said that during an autopsy he picked up a liver of someone who OD'ed on Tylenol and it literally disintegrated in his hands. The liver is one organ in the body that can regenerate if it is not too badly damaged; those who severely overdose either get better or they die.
Liver failure is horrible. A patient will probably never feel sicker. As a liver fails it causes problems with other organs: brain swelling, kidney shutdown, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc. Severe liver failure can progress to what is called fulminant failure, where an immediate transplant is needed. Sometimes, however, a proper donor organ is not available in time, or the patient is too sick to undergo the surgery, or death occurs from a side effect. Successful transplant patients can look forward to a life that includes anti-rejection meds and other complications.
Chronic use over the recommended amounts can cause kidney or ear failure as well. One well-known radio personality lost his hearing to pain med abuse . . .
I mention these things because many people are unaware that recreational use or chonic or acute abuse of pain meds can cause misery and death from the acetaminophen alone.
Buzz