Visit Doctors
Visit
Visit
Call Doctors
Call
Call
Ask Doctors
Ask
Ask
Feed
Home
19 years
Can someone die from overdosing on 24 tablets of Tylenol/paracetamol ?
Jan 13, 2014

Dr. Bassem Tanios Nephrology
The maximum recommended daily dose of acetaminophen ( the ingredient in Tylenol/Paracetamol), is 3 g per day, which usually corresponds to around 6 tablets per day if one tablet contains 500mg of acetaminophen.

Large doses of acetaminophen ( > 7.5 g, which corresponds to around 15 tablets) are potentially toxic and may cause damage to the liver, it is important when such a large ingestion of acetaminophen occurs that the person is directly taken to the emergency room as soon as possible, so that gastro-intestinal de-contamination can be done, and there is an antidote that is given to help prevent occurrence of liver damage.

In severe cases , liver damage can cause liver failure and this can be fatal, that's why it is always important not to exceed the recommended doses of acetaminophen, and remember that patients with liver problems should not take acetaminophen as smaller doses can be toxic.

And if ingestion of large doses occurs intentionally or accidentally, it is very important to go the emergency room as soon as possible, because if treatment is not initiated promptly, there is a risk that liver damage will be irreversible.
 •