For decades, Americans have considered Tylenol to be one of the safest over-the-counter drugs on the market. Manufacturer McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, sells billions of dollars’ worth of the pain reliever every year. New data, however, suggests that Tylenol is a potentially dangerous drug.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lowered the dose recommendation for acetaminophen, the active ingredient in pain relievers like Tylenol and Excedrin, to four grams a day. According to the FDA, acetaminophen overdoses resulted in 56,000 trips to the emergency room in 2011.
How Do Tylenol Overdoses Happen?
The FDA believes that the pill’s familiarity played a role in these overdoses, which can lead to fatal illnesses like liver failure. Tylenol overdoses resulted in 16,000 diagnoses of liver failure and 450 deaths in 2011.
Many people do not suspect that Tylenol can cause an overdose, so they take more than they should. The effects are even worse when taken in a fasting state (i.e. with the flu). We strongly urge everyone to take no more than the recommended dose of any medication, including over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol.
If you suspect that a Tylenol overdose caused your liver failure or killed someone you love, please contact us. Our class action attorneys have years of experience assisting victims harmed by drugs such as Actos, Pradaxa and Vioxx, and we are currently reviewing cases related to Tylenol overdoses. Call 888-841-9623 to contact our attorneys today.
Zoll & Kranz, LLC – Class Action Lawyers