Can Over-The-Counter Pain Medications Damage Your Health?

It seems that millions of people today are putting themselves at risk of suffering a deadly overdose from a very popular painkiller. Research has shown that misusing medication containing the active ingredient acetaminophen.

This can lead to accidental overdoses and even acute liver failure.

Many adults throughout the US use pain medication containing acetaminophen that they receive over-the-counter on a regular basis. It is typically taken on its own or with a combination of other medication.

The problem is that the other medication may contain acetaminophen as well.

Because of how easy it actually is to obtain medication over-the-counter for so many people, patient safety has become challenged as there are many people out there who are unable to give themselves medications safely by reading the labels and understanding what their doctor tells them.

Unfortunately, it has been said that acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure.

Acetaminophen Use and Study

Dr. Michael Wolf, from Northwestern University in Chicago, along with his colleagues interviewed 500 different adult patients who were receiving care from an outpatient medical clinic in Atlanta or Chicago during the months of September 2009 and March 2011.

While over half of the patients surveyed noted occasional acetaminophen use, 19 percent claimed to be heavy users, meaning that they take it at least a few times a week, if not every day.

Researchers then asked patients questions to make sure that they understood the recommended dosages required and judged whether or not they could self-administer over-the-counter acetaminophen appropriately given their condition.

Researchers noted whether or not patients knew the proper dosage to give themselves over a 24-hour period. Also, they looked at what risks were involved if a patient decided to take double their dosage of acetaminophen.

To test if a patient could self-dose themselves correctly, they were given five different drug bottles and for each bottle, were told to imagine that they took their first dose at a certain time and wanted to take the maximum dosage for the day.

After this, the patient had to show the researcher how many pills were needed and what times they would need to take them during a full 24-hour period.

To figure out who would “double dip,” patients were told that they took the maximum dosage for the day. After this, they were asked if it would be safe to take a second medicine which also contained acetaminophen.

Results Of The Study

According to Wolf and his research team, around a quarter of all of the participants that were surveyed were at risk of an overdose on a single medication containing acetaminophen.

These people typically believed that exceeding the dose of four grams in a 24-hour period was okay.

Along with this, around 5 percent of participants ended up giving themselves more than six grams. Half of participants were at a serious risk of overdosing by simply “double dipping” or using two different medications that both contained acetaminophen.

To better protect themselves, consumers should always remember to read the labels and mark down the times when medication has been administered. If any questions or concerns arise, the local pharmacy can always be contacted for more information.

The authors of this study concluded that “Given the prevalence of the problem, risk of significant adverse effects, and lack of a learned intermediary – for instance, a physician to guide decision making and counsel consumers on proper use – we believe this to be a serious public health threat requiring urgent attention.”