Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Is overdose with acetaminophen usually
accidental or intentional?
In the U.S., suicide attempts account for over two thirds of
acetaminophen-related liver injury, whereas accidental overdose accounts for
only one third of the cases. In young children, accidental overdose accounts,
surprisingly, for an even lower percent of the cases. That is, among these
often-curious toddlers, accidental overdose is responsible for less than 10% of
the instances of acetaminophen toxicity. Moreover, the vast majority of these
accidental overdoses were due to unintentional overdoses given by the caregivers
of the children.
How can accidental overdose be avoided in
adults?
To avoid unintentional overdoses among adults, here are some
suggestions.
Read the labels of the medication bottles carefully
and determine the amount or strength of acetaminophen in each pill or
spoonful.
Become familiar with all of the other medications
that you are taking. Remember that over 200 drugs contain acetaminophen as one
of the ingredients and that certain drugs, such as phenobarbital, can
significantly increase liver damage.
Before you take the medication, write down (record)
the maximum safe number of pills or spoonfuls that you can ingest over 24
hours. Stick to that quantity and do not deviate. If, however, you are unsure
of the safe number of doses or think that you need to take more than you
should, call your doctor or pharmacist.
When you receive a prescription for a new medication,
ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it affects the body's metabolism
(processing) of the other medications that you are taking, including
acetaminophen.
If you have been drinking alcohol regularly, do not
exceed taking 2 grams of acetaminophen over 24 hours. Be honest with yourself
about the ingestion of alcohol.
Record the number of pills or
spoonfuls of acetaminophen and the time that you take them.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Liver disease can be cause by a variety of things including infection (hepatitis), diseases such as gallstones, high cholesterol or triglycerides, blood flow obstruction to the liver, and toxins (medications and chemicals). Symptoms of liver disease depends upon the cause; however, common symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, upper right abdominal pain, and jaundice. Treatment depends upon the cause of the liver disease.
Alcoholism is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law.
The liver is the largest solid organ in the body, and is actually an gland. The liver has a wide variety of critical functions such as manufacturing proteins and metabolizing fats and carbohydrates. The liver also eliminates harmful biochemical waste products from the body (alcohol, drugs, toxins). The liver secretes bile that aids in digestion. Examples of diseases of the liver include cirrhosis, hepatitis, cancer, and fatty liver. Symptoms of liver disease include bleeding, easy bruising, edema, fatigue, and jaundice.
Coma is the inability to waken or react to the surrounding environment. The Glasgow Coma Scale is frequently used to measure the depth of coma. Causes of coma include trauma, bleeding, edema, lack of oxygen, poisoning, or hypoglycemia. Prognosis for a patient in a coma depends on the cause of the coma.
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