Acetaminophen, the painkiller marketed as Tylenol, has been fingered as the culprit behind the rise in autism—but it’s also the most deadly over-the-counter (OTC) remedy in the US.
It’s responsible for more deaths and hospitalizations than any other non-prescription drug. Each year, an estimated 56,000 Americans are treated in emergency departments for acetaminophen poisoning, and about 2,600 are hospitalized. The drug is responsible for nearly half of all acute liver failure cases in the US and around 20 percent of liver transplants nationwide.
It’s often down to people unwittingly overdosing, says Kennon Heard, a professor in the CU Anschutz Department of Emergency Medicine, who has studied the drug for more than 20 years.
Aside from Tylenol, acetaminophen is also the main ingredient in many store-brand pain relievers used for mild to moderate pain and low-grade fever and it’s also included in a wide range of over-the-counter products for colds, flu, sinus symptoms, and menstrual discomfort.
As a result, we’re probably taking too much. As Heard explains: “Maybe people have a really bad toothache, and they think if two is good, four is better, eight is even better, and so on. Or it’s someone who’s taking multiple repeated overdoses—those are the people who get into trouble.” Suicidal people are also deliberately overdosing with a drug that is the most likely to be found in their medicine chest at home.
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