ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Acetaminophen, a pain killer best known under the brand name Tylenol, has led to an alarming increase in accidental overdoses, U.S. researchers say.
Acetaminophen is available in many over-the-counter medications and remedies. The most widely used pain killer in the United States also is an ingredient in prescription narcotics Vicodin and Percocet.
Researchers from the University of California and University of Washington said consistent use of as little as 7.5 grams per day of acetaminophen may lead to liver failure, a subject for future study.
Liver failures related to the painkiller jumped from 28 percent in 1998 to 51 percent in 2003, researchers said of 662 cases they tracked at U.S. transplant centers.
While the problems are small vs. millions of doses of acetaminophen taken daily, 48 percent accidentally overdosed mainly by combining products containing the pain killer.
Efforts to limit package size as well as restricting or barring narcotic-acetaminophen combinations "may be necessary" to avoid a preventable cause of acute liver failure, researchers said.
The study was reported in the December issue of Hepatology.
