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Acetaminophen Toxicity

This document discusses acetaminophen toxicity, including causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of an acetaminophen overdose. An overdose occurs when more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen is taken within 24 hours, often by accidentally taking multiple medicines containing acetaminophen or an extended-release form. Symptoms range from nausea and vomiting to liver damage and death. Treatment depends on time since overdose and may include activated charcoal, antidotes, and monitoring for liver damage. Prevention involves carefully reading labels and not exceeding daily limits.

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Jam Maj
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159 views14 pages

Acetaminophen Toxicity

This document discusses acetaminophen toxicity, including causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of an acetaminophen overdose. An overdose occurs when more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen is taken within 24 hours, often by accidentally taking multiple medicines containing acetaminophen or an extended-release form. Symptoms range from nausea and vomiting to liver damage and death. Treatment depends on time since overdose and may include activated charcoal, antidotes, and monitoring for liver damage. Prevention involves carefully reading labels and not exceeding daily limits.

Uploaded by

Jam Maj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Acetaminophen

Toxicity
Acetaminophen overdose means
taking more than it is safe to take.
It may also be called
acetaminophen poisoning.
Acetaminophen is called
paracetamol in countries outside
the United States. When used
correctly, acetaminophen is a safe
drug that decreases pain and
fever. Many medicines contain
What causes an acetaminophen
overdose?
The most acetaminophen that is safe for most
people to take is 4,000 milligrams (4 grams) in a
24-hour period. An overdose means you have
taken more than is safe in a 24-hour period. The
following are ways an unplanned overdose may
happen:
You take more than the recommended
dose.You might accidentally take too much if
your pain or fever did not go away after the
recommended dose. You may also get too much
if you take acetaminophen for too many days in
You accidentally take more than one medicine at
a time.Many medicines contain acetaminophen along
with other drugs. These include medicines for colds, the
flu, allergies, or trouble sleeping. You may have taken
more than one medicine that contains acetaminophen,
and the total was too much.
You take an extended-release form.When you take
extended-release pills, the medicine stays in your body
longer. You are supposed to take these medicines less
often than you would take regular acetaminophen. If
you take this medicine too often, you will have too
much in your body at one time.
Signs and symptoms

You might not have any signs or symptoms


at first. Early signs and symptoms may
make you feel like you have the flu.
Common signs and symptoms happen
during each stage of an acetaminophen
overdose. If the overdose is treated right
away, you might have fewer or easier
symptoms in the later stages.
First 24 hours:Nausea, vomiting, stomach
pain, and loss of appetite
Paleness
Tiredness
Sweating
24 to 72 hours after the overdose,you
may also have any of the following:Pain in
your upper right side
Dark urine
Urinating less often than usual
Skin and the whites of your eyes turn
72 to 96 hours after the overdose,you may
also have any of the following:Blood in your urine
Fever, lightheadedness, or fainting
Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Extreme weakness or tiredness
Feeling very hungry, or shaking
Blurred vision, a fast heartbeat, or headache that
will not go away
Trouble staying awake
Confusion
Coma
How is an acetaminophen
overdose diagnosed?
The serum acetaminophen concentration is the
basis for diagnosis and treatment.A
diagnosticserum concentration is helpful, even in
the absence of clinical symptoms, because clinical
symtpoms are delayed. The Rumack-Matthew
nomogram interprets the acetaminophen
concentration (in micrograms per mL),in relation
totime (in hours) after ingestion, and is predictive
of possible hepatotoxicityafter single, acute
ingestions of acetaminophen.
Recommended serum studies are
follows:
Liver function tests (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate
aminotransferase [AST]), bilirubin [total and fractionated], alkaline
phosphatase)
Prothrombin time (PT) with international normalized ratio (INR)
Glucose
Renal function studies (electrolytes, BUN, creatinine)
Lipase and amylase (in patients with abdominal pain)
Serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (in females of
childbearing age)
Salicylate level (in patients with concern of co-ingestants)
Arterial blood gas and ammonia (in clinically compromised patients)
How is an acetaminophen
overdose/poisoning treated
Acetaminophen overdose is a serious
problem. Treatment should be started as
soon as possible. Treatment depends on
how much time has passed since the
overdose and if the overdose happened all
at one time. You may be given activated
charcoal medicine to soak up the
acetaminophen that is still in your stomach.
Activated charcoal will make you vomit.
Gastric lavage may be needed to clean out
Gastric lavage is also called having
your stomach pumped. You may be
given antidote medicine to stop the
effect of the overdose. You may also be
given medicine to slow down the
effects of acetaminophen
How can an acetaminophen
poisoning be prevented?
Read labels carefully.Read the labels
ofallthe medicines you take. If your medicine
contains acetaminophen, it will be listed in the
active ingredients section. Acetaminophen
may be listed on the label as APAP,
Acetaminoph, Acetaminop, Acetamin, or
Acetam. Check carefully to see if the
acetaminophen is a regular or extended-
release form.
Do not take more than 1 type of
acetaminophen at a time.Many combination
medicines contain acetaminophen. Make sure
the total dose of acetaminophen you take is not
more than 4,000 milligrams (4 grams) in 1 day.
Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure
how much you are taking. Check other
medicines to see if they contain
acetaminophen. Donottake these medicines
together with acetaminophen. The combined
amount of acetaminophen may be too much.
Take the correct dose.Make sure you take the
right amount and wait the right number of hours
between doses.Nevertake more than the label
says to take. Do not take acetaminophen for
more days than directed. If the medicine came
with a device such as a spoon or dropper, use it
to measure your medicine.
Do not take acetaminophen for too many
days in a row.Do not take acetaminophen for
more than 10 days to treat pain, unless your
healthcare provider tells you to. Do not take
acetaminophen for more than 3 days to treat a
fever, unless your healthcare provider tells you

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