Tylenol and Tabs

[Weney3777]

So, with Lortabs and their tylenol content...4000+ mgs a day can be detrimental to both your kidneys and your liver? I pretty much had an idea this was the case, but for the last year or so, someone very close to me takes this much, and gets sick every time he eats. He also has extreme lower back pain at times, and the doctors at the quick care keep saying it's his back, and give him even more lortabs! Could getting sick after eating mean he as something wrong with his kidneys or liver? He's been to the hospital for this and everything always seems fine, except his white blood cell count is high. He switched from Lortab to Oxys for a period of about a year(then switched back) and he didn't get sick after eating while on only the oxys. I know this isn't a doctor forum, but just though maybe anyone had a clue as to what was going on with him. Thanks.

[Weney3777]

Yes, my friend is pain pill abuser. He does have back pain, but like you said, it's getting worse, even with the pain pills in his system. Nothing works anymore for him. He is an addict to Lortab 10/500. He's going to try and switch to Norco this week, instead. Just until he has the time to quit entirely.

[emwave]

"Daily doses over 4g can cause acute toxitity [toxicity]..."  This is for normal, healthy people who rarely take acetominophen (tylenol, Paracetamol).  The toxicity is much lower in people who have used it often or abused it.  In the US, they are making changes (which will take forever) to lower the amount of tylenol in meds, and also to reduce the "maximum" recommended amount.  But it will take a while -- drugs are big business.  But they have no right throwing into things like "Tylenol PM".  Take an antihistamine -- that's what puts you to sleep.  And if you stick to something like Benadryl, it's very safe (unless you aren't supposed to use it for some other medical reason, of course)

[Greatgreebo]

Listen to Worried878...she knows what she is talking about. As an FYI: once you push your liver to far it's a bad situation....I'm an EMT and I have seen people die in my ambulance from acute liver failure-from tylenol.
I, myself, am a Norco user (10 mg hydrocodone/325 tylenol) with it being my DOC....because I 'wised up' as it were...I conviced the doc to give me scripts with much less tylenol. I can tell you that I have developed a tylenol allergy. If I take any tylenol I throw up continually-regardless of what I put in my stomach and end up in the emergency room. Your friend is heading down a bad road...get them help now before it's too late.
Also, chronic pain gets worth with opiate abuse....your body losses the ability to ward off pain and you actually feel worse without the drugs. But you can regain your ability to fight off pain...once you get over the initial WD's from the lack of opiates....Try to convince your friend to ween themselves now.....the alternative is no way to live.
Believe me........I'm 10 years into this merry go round from He!!
Write back and stay strong.
Greebs

[worried878]

tylenol at toxic doses is more apt to affect the liver...very little kidney involvement....many drug users when they reah a high dose/switch to a drug that is tylenol free like oxycontin to avoid the liver thing...percocets/oxycodone which is also the drug in oxycontin/does have tylenol   as a rule "cet" stands for tylenol,,,locet is hydro but so is lortab which has not "cet" in the name...important to keep up with tylenol doses as it can kill u in a heart beat..peopkle taking 20 -30 hydros a day/as a rule most hydros have 500 mgs of tylenol be it a 5, 7.5 or a 10 mg dose of hydro....a 100 mg user would be safer to take 10 10 mg pills ves 20 5 mg pills as far as tylenol toxicity goes

what is the goal for u friend?  is he a chronic painer?  or is he an addict?  or both?  let us know how it goes

[Astray]

Thing is, I had nothing to gain, I just lied 'cos I ashamed and perhaps even more so because lieing about habits becomes pathological after a time, it's a reflex.

[Weney3777]

I know exactly how it is to not be honest with the doctor, for your own personal gain. But, is it really gain? Or are we just hurting ourselves in the long run, you know? I'll keep trying to talk to him.

[Astray]

Hi Weney.

Outside of the USA one of the ingredients of Tylenol is called Paracetamol, if you check Wikipedia under that name there are some articles that look reasonably well informed. Though needless to say anything on Wikipedia should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Here in the UK paracetomol is one of the things the over the counter codeine gets combined with so my body has encountered far too much of it. Daily doses over 4g can cause acute toxitity aparently, there is less concrete info on lower chronic use but your friends symptoms sound I lot like mine, which I lied to my doctor about so I don't have specific straight from the doctor info if you see what I mean.

They may well be fine but I'd get them to check those articles but they need to be careful, if you recall my liver count was so bad earlier this year my doc thought I had Hep C. Possible an honest conversation with their doctor might be in order...

[emwave]

sorry for all of the typos -- detox , you know?  I should be sound asleep by now.  not going to happen tonight!

[emwave]

Hi.  Yes, stay AWAY from tylenol (acetominophen).  Back pain is hard to diagnose without extended ted testing --- pm me with details and i have an army od docs (family and friends) who wil answer me.  Everyone out there -- I HAVE found NO USE FOR TYLENOL.  I'd go with ibuprofen, but if there is ANY question about liver problems (see your doctors and...) see if u can use Alleve.  It isn't metobolisem through the liver.  I do not know about kidneys, but will get the info as soon as i feel "functional".  Plz reply -- no one shoud be alone.