Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) and Acute Liver Failure

Around 25 billion doses of acetaminophen, or paracetamol, are sold globally every year. Worldwide, acetaminophen overdose is among the leading causes of acute liver failure, and the leading cause in many countries. Acetaminophen is most often purchased as an over-the-counter medication. Prescribed pain relievers often combine acetaminophen with other medications. In 2011 the US FDA issued a mandate limiting the maximum acetaminophen dose in prescribed products that include opioids and required boxed warning labels. Watch this video to find out whether the mandate worked to decrease hospitalizations for acute liver failure resulting from acetaminophen and opioid toxicity.

To read the study described in this video, click https://ja.ma/3KVhxYc
To read an accompanying editorial by Marc G. Ghany, MD, MHSc (NIDDK, NIH) and Paul B. Watkins, MD (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), click https://ja.ma/3ZCD7VF

Topics discussed in this video
0:00 Prevalence of acetaminophen (paracetamol)
0:37 Safety and recommended dose
1:30 Unintentional acetaminophen overdose
2:21 Acetaminophen and opioid toxicity
2:44 2011 FDA mandate
3:10 Did the mandate work?
3:54 Acetaminophen overdose without opioids
4:44 What can be done?

Featuring:
Jayme E. Locke, MD (University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine and Joan & Sanford Weill Medical College of Cornell University)
Lewis S. Nelson, MD (Rutgers New Jersey Medical School)
Babak J. Orandi, MD, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine)

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