4 ms·

I noticed paracetamol was given at the very beginning of the girl’s ordeal. Acetaminophen (paractemol / Tylenol) is the standard of care for fevers and pain, bu

I noticed paracetamol was given at the very beginning of the girl’s ordeal. Acetaminophen (paractemol / Tylenol) is the standard of care for fevers and pain, but it is a terrible drug. A comment here said it’d never be approved in the modern world because the mechanism of action is unknown. But the mechanism of harm is known: disruption of the “electron transport chain” in the mitochondria. Prenatal Tylenol is now well-associated with autism. I have a friend who I talked out of using Tylenol daily - she’s doing much better. Edit: spelling (comment below)

ogogmad 4y ago
wrong spelling: *paracEtamol "pa-ruh-SEE-tuh-mol", with the "pa" being like the "ma" in "marriage".
ogogmad 4y ago
What's the alternative, ibuprofen? I think children are already discouraged from taking aspirin because it can cause deadly side effects.
- teslabox 4y ago
  Ibuprofen is not terrible, and there's a children's version. I think it's usually better to let children have mild fevers, and do something else when the fever is more serious. Tylenol does NOT have anti-inflammatory properties. Ibuprofen is a better in many different ways.
  - midoridensha 4y ago
    And Tylenol/paracetamol will destroy your liver.
    - edmundsauto 4y ago
      Is this only in large doses (>4g/day), or does taking Tylenol a couple times a week for a headache also increase the risk? I've always read the it's the former - which is a problem, because it's so close the the therapeutic dose. But for many people who take it once in a while, it's a godsend.
      - midoridensha 4y ago
        Normally, they say it happens after a certain dosage, and it's a bit like a cliff effect: go a little over that dosage and suddenly you have liver damage. However, surely this dosage would be radically different between different people: a 40kg woman is not like a 100kg man. And finally, if this drug is SO dangerous if you have a little too much of it, I have zero confidence that it's at all safe at ANY normal dosage (esp. since the dangerous dosage is very close to the normal prescribed dosage; it's not like you have to down a whole bottle at once to have a big problem). I simply don't see how this drug should even be legal for OTC use, or why it should be used at all in most situations when there's better and safer alternatives: aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. Personally, I'm simply not going to take the risk. Why bother?
  - kurupt213 4y ago
    Ibuprofen is inappropriate for pregnant women, and interacts with tons of medications. It is not nearly as safe as Tylenol
t6jvcereio 4y ago
As someone who lives in the UK, let me tell you, any interaction with the NHS ends with you being given paracetamol. It's like an inside joke that the whole population of the UK is in on.
profile53 4y ago
Please cite sources for all of this. The mechanism of action for Tylenol is mostly known and regardless it is not uncommon to have medicines with an unknown mechanism approved (e.g. gabapentin). Furthermore, the mechanism of harm you quote is not, in fact, a known one. Frankly, I can’t tell where you pulled that from. The primary mechanism of harm is liver damage from prolonged use. Finally, the association with autism is still under debate and I see several possible confounding effects in the current research. Your post is incredibly misinformative and you should not be talking about anything medical science related if you know this little. You could get people hurt if they listen to you.
- kurupt213 4y ago
  Acute liver toxicity is the real danger. There’s no coming back from that
  - profile53 4y ago
    Oops yes you’re correct, I mistyped — it was supposed to read prolonged or excessive use.
cvalka 4y ago
cvalka 4y ago
Paracetamol is one of the safest drugs out there.
kurupt213 4y ago
Tylenol is basically the only drug pregnant women are allowed to take

ogogmad 4y ago

wrong spelling: *paracEtamol "pa-ruh-SEE-tuh-mol", with the "pa" being like the "ma" in "marriage".

ogogmad 4y ago

What's the alternative, ibuprofen? I think children are already discouraged from taking aspirin because it can cause deadly side effects.

teslabox 4y ago
Ibuprofen is not terrible, and there's a children's version. I think it's usually better to let children have mild fevers, and do something else when the fever is more serious. Tylenol does NOT have anti-inflammatory properties. Ibuprofen is a better in many different ways.
- midoridensha 4y ago
  And Tylenol/paracetamol will destroy your liver.
  - edmundsauto 4y ago
    Is this only in large doses (>4g/day), or does taking Tylenol a couple times a week for a headache also increase the risk? I've always read the it's the former - which is a problem, because it's so close the the therapeutic dose. But for many people who take it once in a while, it's a godsend.
    - midoridensha 4y ago
      Normally, they say it happens after a certain dosage, and it's a bit like a cliff effect: go a little over that dosage and suddenly you have liver damage. However, surely this dosage would be radically different between different people: a 40kg woman is not like a 100kg man. And finally, if this drug is SO dangerous if you have a little too much of it, I have zero confidence that it's at all safe at ANY normal dosage (esp. since the dangerous dosage is very close to the normal prescribed dosage; it's not like you have to down a whole bottle at once to have a big problem). I simply don't see how this drug should even be legal for OTC use, or why it should be used at all in most situations when there's better and safer alternatives: aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. Personally, I'm simply not going to take the risk. Why bother?
- kurupt213 4y ago
  Ibuprofen is inappropriate for pregnant women, and interacts with tons of medications. It is not nearly as safe as Tylenol

t6jvcereio 4y ago

As someone who lives in the UK, let me tell you, any interaction with the NHS ends with you being given paracetamol. It's like an inside joke that the whole population of the UK is in on.

profile53 4y ago

Please cite sources for all of this. The mechanism of action for Tylenol is mostly known and regardless it is not uncommon to have medicines with an unknown mechanism approved (e.g. gabapentin). Furthermore, the mechanism of harm you quote is not, in fact, a known one. Frankly, I can’t tell where you pulled that from. The primary mechanism of harm is liver damage from prolonged use. Finally, the association with autism is still under debate and I see several possible confounding effects in the current research. Your post is incredibly misinformative and you should not be talking about anything medical science related if you know this little. You could get people hurt if they listen to you.

kurupt213 4y ago
Acute liver toxicity is the real danger. There’s no coming back from that
- profile53 4y ago
  Oops yes you’re correct, I mistyped — it was supposed to read prolonged or excessive use.

cvalka 4y ago

Paracetamol is one of the safest drugs out there.

kurupt213 4y ago

Tylenol is basically the only drug pregnant women are allowed to take