Does Tylenol Hurt Your Kidneys – Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is one of the most commonly used medications for pain and fever relief. Given its relative lack of side effects and considered safe for all ages, it is used to treat a variety of people, from babies to pregnant women (via GoodRX Health). Its popularity also stems from the fact that it doesn’t usually cause stomach or heart problems, which can be a risk with other over-the-counter pain relievers (via WebMD).
However, using Tylenol is not without risks. According to UCI Health, overuse of Tylenol and other paracetamol products is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Taking more than 4 grams of acetaminophen can cause liver damage in just 24 hours. According to a 2016 study published in LiverTox, liver failure can occur even without previous liver disease.
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Does Tylenol Hurt Your Kidneys
The risk that overuse of Tylenol poses to the liver raises the question of how it may affect other parts of the body, such as the kidneys.
Renal Dysfunction Risk
Although there are risks associated with using Tylenol, it usually does not pose a threat to your kidneys. In fact, according to GoodRx Health, it is preferable to other over-the-counter pain medications for patients diagnosed with kidney problems. Because Tylenol is broken down by the liver, the drug is not toxic by the time it reaches the kidneys.
However, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to be careful. According to MedlinePlus, acetaminophen overdose is one of the most common poisonings that can occur. A 2019 study published in Cureus found that when ingested in toxic amounts (100 grams or more), acetaminophen caused acute kidney injury in 2 to 10% of patients.
If you have low kidney function, according to the National Kidney Foundation, you should also be careful when using over-the-counter pain relievers. These medications can reduce blood flow to the kidneys over time and cause damage to kidney tissue. Also, if you have kidney disease, you should avoid drinking alcohol while taking pain relievers.
Although Tylenol tends not to be harmful to your kidneys, you may be at risk for painkiller nephropathy (via Johns Hopkins Medicine). This occurs as a result of damage to the blood vessels that leak into the kidneys due to prolonged exposure. Signs of pain nephropathy include fatigue, blood in the urine and pain in the back near the kidneys. However, you may also have no symptoms or symptoms that appear as another condition. If you suspect you have a problem with your kidneys while taking pain relievers, see your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
Extra Strength Tylenol Use And Overdose
In general, you shouldn’t use over-the-counter pain medications for more than 10 days for pain and three days for fever (via the National Kidney Foundation). During that time, you should increase your fluid intake to between six and eight glasses a day. And if you have kidney disease, high blood pressure, liver problems or heart problems, tell your doctor before starting any kind of pain treatment. Most people reading this article will probably consider Tylenol (ie acetaminophen) to be safe. pain reliever for both children and adults.
However, one doctor went so far as to state that “Tylenol is by far the most dangerous drug ever created.”
Taken out of context, such a broad statement can seem hyperbolic. The most dangerous drug ever created?
“Each year, a significant number of Americans experience intentional and unintentional Tylenol (acetaminophen)-related overdoses that can result in serious morbidity and mortality. Analysis of national databases shows that acetaminophen-related overdoses account for approximately 50,000 emergency room visits and 25,000 hospitalizations annually. Acetaminophen is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the country, according to data from an ongoing study funded by the National Institutes of Health. An analysis of national mortality files shows that approximately 450 overdose-related deaths occur each year to acetaminophen; 100 of these are involuntary.”
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So while most people wouldn’t think twice about taking some Tylenol pills, the reality is that it can be extremely dangerous and cause significant side effects.
Regular use of acetaminophen has also been linked to an increased likelihood of asthma, infertility and hearing loss (especially in men under 50).
Most people don’t know about this because the FDA has done a poor job of alerting the public to the dangers of acetaminophen.
I say this because paracetamol is the last remaining member of a class of drugs known as “aniline analgesics” still on the market.
Better Than Tylenol!!
This pains me because not only are chiropractic adjustments better for pain relief than Tylenol, but they help prevent the toxic and dangerous side effects of taking over the counters.
Hundreds of years ago, doctors of the time discovered that antipyretic agents were contained in white willow bark (which led to the development of aspirin) and cinchona bark.
Harmon Northrop Morse first synthesized acetaminophen (Tylenol) in 1878; however, paracetamol was not used in medical treatment for another 15 years.
Paracetomol would not be sold commercially until 1955 by McNeil Laboratories as a pain and fever reliever for children under the brand name Tylenol Children’s Elixir.
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In 1956, 500 mg tablets of paracetamol were sold in the UK under the trade name Panadol, manufactured by Frederick Stearns & Co, a subsidiary of Sterling Drug Inc.
Panadol was originally only available by prescription, for pain and fever relief, and was advertised as “gentle on the stomach”, as other pain relievers at the time contained aspirin, a known stomach irritant.
The US patent on acetaminophen has long since expired, and generic versions of the drug are widely available under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, although certain Tylenol preparations were protected until 2007. US Patent 6,126,967 filed 3 September 1998 was granted for “Extended Release Acetaminophen Particles”.
Tylenol is believed to reduce the production of prostaglandins (chemicals that cause inflammation) in the brain, reducing fever through its action on the brain’s heat-regulating centers; but no one knows exactly how.
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Paracetamol is very hard on the liver and is known to deplete the liver’s supply of the important detoxification aid and antioxidant glutathione.
This is why combining Tylenol with alcoholic beverages or other compounds that affect the liver, including other medications, can cause significant liver dysfunction.
Tylenol is often the drug of choice in children for fever relief. However, use against fever in the first year of life is associated with an increased incidence of asthma and other allergic symptoms later in childhood.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is the leading cause of telephone calls to poison control centers in the United States and is responsible for more than 56,000 emergency room visits and 458 deaths each year as a result of acute liver failure (1).
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More than half of all cases of acute liver failure in the USA are actually due to paracetamol overdose (1)!
Most guidelines suggest taking no more than 4,000 milligrams per day (2), but according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a 4,000-mg dose taken over four days causes an increase in serum alanine. (AST) and aminotransferase (ALT), which are markers of liver injury and damage (3).
These concerns are nothing new. In fact, it was known as far back as 1977, when an FDA advisory board said it was “mandatory” to add warning labels about liver damage. It wasn’t until 2011 that a statement was made to manufacturers to limit the strength of each capsule to 325 milligrams and provide warning labels.
Acetaminophen lowers the levels of glutathione, the body’s most important antioxidant. Glutathione levels help protect our cells from free radical damage.
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Therefore, if you regularly take Tylenol, or any other medication for that matter, you should strongly consider supplementing with glutathione.
Endogenous means that the body produces it (in contrast to antioxidants in, for example, chocolate, red wine or berries) or vitamin C that must be consumed.
“Oxidation” is a normal process in the body that occurs when we use oxygen to create energy for the cell.
The body uses antioxidants to “move out” free radicals, neutralizing them so that they cannot damage DNA or any other part of the cell.
Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Gels
Once a free radical is absorbed, it must be converted back to the active form. When the body receives a major oxidative “blow”, it causes
Can you imagine what would happen if you depleted glutathione in the brain? You end up with oxidative damage, inflammation and brain damage.
If someone’s glutathione levels are already low, a “normal” dose of Tylenol can cause massive damage.
One study found that those who took opioids (some of which contain acetaminophen) were 95 percent more likely to be overweight and 63 percent more likely to have high blood pressure (4).
Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets With 500 Mg Acetaminophen, Pain Reliever & Fever Reducer, For Headache, Backache & Menstrual Pain Relief, 24 Ct
Tylenol not only taxes your liver (detoxification capacity), but when combined with alcohol, your kidneys also take a hit. One study found that the combination of paracetamol and alcohol use resulted in a 2.23-fold increased risk of reduced kidney function (5).
There is also a link with cancer. A 2013 meta-analysis of epidemiological studies found that paracetamol was associated with a significantly increased risk.
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