Acetaminophen Side Effects

Acetaminophen is a white, crystalline powder that is widely used as a non-prescription or over the counter medication, basically to relieve pain and fever. It is an important ingredient in more than 200 drugs or medications. Acetaminophen is also commonly known as paracetamol, which is derived from coal tar and is the member of the class, 'aniline' analgesics. Paracetamol can be found in several forms, like tablets, capsules, suppository, liquid suspension as well as in intravenous form.

Uses of Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic. Analgesics, also known as pain killers belong to the class of drugs that are used to relieve pain, while antipyretic medicines are used to lower body temperature. So, acetaminophen or paracetamol is used to ease fever and pain associated with several medical conditions. More commonly, it is used for relieving headache, fever and other minor pains. It can be safely used in children to treat fever and use of acetaminophen in place of aspirin in infants, have been observed to reduce the incidence of Reye's syndrome.

For mild arthritis joint pain, acetaminophen can be used, though, it cannot relieve the swelling and inflammation of the joints, caused by this condition. Similarly, it can be used to ease the pain caused by osteoarthritis as well. Sometimes, acetaminophen is also used in combination with other drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for relieving severe pain. However, it has to be administered only in the appropriate dose, as overdose can lead to toxicity and liver failure. For adults, the recommended maximum daily dose of acetaminophen is 4000mg. More information on joint pain and arthritis pain management.

Acetaminophen Side Effects
Acetaminophen side effects usually result from an overdose, which can be intentional or accidental. However, the effect of an overdose depends to a great extent on factors like whether acetaminophen has been taken alone or along with other medications or alcohol, as well as nutritional status and overall health condition of the person.

Acetaminophen is converted into other chemicals by the liver, in the presence of liver enzymes and then eliminated from the body. Excessive acetaminophen ingestion, therefore, can result in liver damage or failure, especially when taken along with alcohol or drugs, that also contain acetaminophen or those that have an adverse effect on the liver. In such situations, even a lower than the maximum recommended dose can cause acetaminophen toxicity. People having liver diseases like hepatitis and AIDS should never take acetaminophen without consulting their physicians.

The common side effects of acetaminophen overdose are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, upset stomach and excessive sweating. On the other hand, jaundice, allergic reactions such as breathing difficulties and swelling, convulsions, unusual bleeding and bruising, liver toxicity, coma are some serious side effects of acetaminophen overdose, that require immediate medical attention. Rarely, excessive use of acetaminophen can cause ulcers in the digestive tract and stomach bleeding.

Acetaminophen toxicity or hepatotoxicity is one of the leading causes of acute liver failure in both United States and United Kingdom. Liver failure can require immediate liver transplantation, without which, it can cause death within a few days. So, acetaminophen, though used casually by a large section of population, can lead to some potentially dangerous medical conditions. More information on pain killer addiction side effects.

The antidote used for the major acetaminophen side effects is N-acetylcysterine, which however, can be effective if administered within 8 hours of ingesting acetaminophen. For this, it is very important to understand the health risks associated with its ingestion, as well as recognizing and treating acetaminophen toxicity, as soon as possible. However, prevention is always better than cure and it is particularly true for acetaminophen. Hence, it is better to maintain adequate precaution and take medical advice from an experienced physician before taking acetaminophen or paracetamol.