Tylenol is one of the most familiar and trusted brand names in America. In fact, commercials for the popular pain reliever used to proclaim: “Trust Tylenol. The pain reliever hospitals use most.”
A new study suggests that hospitals sometimes use too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Researchers reviewed the records of more than 14,000 patients who received acetaminophen during their hospital stay. More than 6% of them got doses exceeding the safe limit of 4 grams/day. Older people and those with liver disease were even more likely to be overdosed. Tylenol may be a trusted name, but doctors and patients should be wary of overdose.
[Archives of internal Medicine, Dec. 10/24, 2012]
For more information on staying safe when hospitalized, you may wish to consult our book, Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.
