The constant, exasperating pain in the low back may drive
you to use a lot of acetaminophen (e.g.,Tylenol, Anacin, Liquiprin,
Percocet). The drug is commonly
used to treat musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis, headache, back pain and
other inflammatory conditions.
Make sure you’re not taking too much of it.
Be mindful of the amount of acetaminophen you’re taking.
This is especially true if you’re taking other prescribed analgesics containing
mixtures of acetaminophen and opiates. An overdose (more than 2,000 mg per day)
of acetaminophen can damage your liver. Also, if you have diabetes or are
prediabetic, remember that acetaminophen may produce false results in urine
glucose tests.
“The risk of liver injury primarily occurs when patients
take multiple products containing acetaminophen at one time and exceed the
current, maximum dose of 4,000 mg within a 24-hour period.”
Prescribed analgesics often contain acetaminophen combined
with opioids such as codeine, oxycodone, or hydrocodone. The amounts of
acetaminophen in these combination products can be quite high. A tablet of
Anexsia, for example, contains 750 mg of acetaminophen. Lortab, Tylox, and
Vicodin have 500 mg, while Percocet has 650 mg.
The FDA has recently asked manufacturers to reduce the
acetaminophen content in these products to safer levels. The important thing to
remember is not to consume more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen within a
twenty-four-hour period. Taking more than that is flirting with disaster.
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