The generic name of Tylenol is acetaminophen?
I will refer to the generic name acetaminophen, rather than to the brand name Tylenol. the labels usually will say acetaminophen rather than Tylenol. For example, each tablespoon of the common nighttime cold remedy, NyQuil, contains 500 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen. Similarly, each tablet of Vicodin, a popular, potent painkiller that contains a narcotic, has also either 500, 650, or 750 mg of acetaminophen, depending on the formulation.
An overdose of acetaminophen can cause liver damage. This damage occurs in a dose-related manner. (Some other medications can cause liver injury in an unpredictable fashion that is unrelated to the dose.) In other words, liver injury from acetaminophen occurs only when someone takes more than a certain amount of the drug. Likewise, the higher the dose, the greater is the likelihood of the damage. Moreover, this liver injury from an overdose of acetaminophen is a serious matter because the damage can be severe and result in liver failure and death. In fact, acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause of acute (rapid onset) liver failure in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
For the average healthy adult, the recommended maximum dose of acetaminophen over a 24 hour period is four grams (4000 mg) or eight extra-strength pills. (Each extra-strength pill contains 500 mg and each regular strength pill contains 325 mg.) A person who drinks more than two alcoholic beverages per day, however, should not take more than two grams of acetaminophen over 24 hours, as discussed below. For children, the dose is based on their weight and age, and explicit instructions are given in the package insert. If these guidelines for adults and children are followed, acetaminophen is safe and carries essentially no risk of liver injury.
This answer was edited by kbky11 406 days ago.
Reason: A
