St. Patrick's Day Yesterday, Tylenol Toxicity Today?

Chicago, ILIt's highly unlikely that changes requested by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the aim to reduce the chance for Tylenol overdose will come in time to benefit St. Patrick's Day revelers bent out of shape following the annual celebration of all things Irish. The fact remains, however, that popping too many painkillers containing acetaminophen could lead to acetaminophen toxicity.

It should be noted that changes announced this past January only affect manufacturers of prescription acetaminophen products. Changes to product labeling for over-the-counter (OTC) medication were implemented some time ago. It's a given that any individual suffering from a hangover will be loath to call their doctor or visit an emergency room. They won't be able to move far, given their extreme withdrawal symptoms stemming from alcohol consumption.

Beyond the potential for the hair of the dog via the famed Bloody Mary at the D4 Irish Pub & Café in Chicago, the farthest they'll get is likely the bathroom, where the handy pill bottle is in the medicine cabinet. Provided they have an updated bottle that warns of Tylenol liver failure and the potential for acetaminophen toxicity from ingesting too much medication, what are the odds they will even see it?

Most individuals when they are hung over are not thinking rationally. And the last thing they will attempt is a navigation of the fine print inherent with a medication so widely used as acetaminophen.

In January, the FDA focused on prescription medications containing acetaminophen, mandating a reduction in the amount of acetaminophen in each tablet to 325 milligrams. The idea in reducing the level of acetaminophen in each tablet, is to foster a reduction of potential for acetaminophen toxicity in patients taking prescription Tylenol and other prescribed acetaminophen products for chronic pain.

Back to the St. Patrick's Day celebrant. How many revellers, when they reach for the pill bottle on the morning of March 18, will be aware that taking too many Tylenol can lead to Tylenol liver failure? The caution is on the label. But how many will read the label on a product they have taken for years?

In a random sampling of searches for hangover cures on the internet, which party-goers are wont to do, various references to taking acetaminophen for severe headache or hangover symptoms make no reference to the potential for Tylenol and liver or acetaminophen toxicity.

The caution against a Tylenol overdose is on the label. But is the information disseminated where the people are? It is a sad truth that those who do not read labels are in the majority. Thus, it behooves manufacturers—and perhaps even the FDA—to better educate patients where they live: in front of the TV, in front of the computer, in the lineup at the liquor store or queuing up to the bar. That's where people are on St. Patrick's Day. And that's where you reach them.