Posted on 08/20/2010 10:09:36 PM PDT by neverdem
Young teenagers who use acetaminophen even once a month develop asthma symptoms more than twice as often as those who never take it, a large international study has found. And frequent users also had more eczema and eye and sinus irritation.
Other studies have linked acetaminophen (often sold as Tylenol and in other over-the-counter remedies for pain, colds, fever and allergies) with an increased risk of asthma. But the new study’s authors cautioned that the findings did not mean children should stop using it.
“Acetaminophen remains the preferred drug to relieve pain and fever in children,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Richard W. Beasley, a professor of medicine at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand. He noted that aspirin and ibuprofen should not be used in children with asthma, since they can bring on an attack...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Could it have anything to do with the fillers commonly used in these tablets?
immunology ping
Never say never in medicine, but I don't think so. Those fillers are used in all sorts of tablets. Acetaminophen comes as liquid too. Maybe somebody makes softgels?
I was once in a hospital )about 20 years ago) and I complained of a headache so the nurse offered a Tylenol. It did little to help. But then when I got an itemized bill, it turned out that one Tylenol tablet cost $18.00. Yes, you can go to your supermarket and probably buy over 1,000 Tylenols for the cost of this one pill at the hospital.
But, of course, you're not allowed to bring in your own meds.
My son is a biochemistry major and told me that tylenol contains benzene rings. Not a great thing for us to injest. However, from the commercials they tout how gentle it is. I think this information has been out there but the general public isn’t being given all the information that would allow us to make better choices.
Ping... (Thanks, neverdem!)
Acetaminophen should only be used in young children and those who cannot tolerate aspirin. It is not as effective as aspirin as both a pain reliever and it is not an anti inflammatory. Acetaminophen also suffers from very dangerous side effects when it is mixed with other drugs or alcohol.
Acetaminophen should only be used in young children and those who cannot tolerate aspirin. It is not as effective as aspirin as both a pain reliever and it is not an anti inflammatory. Acetaminophen also suffers from very dangerous side effects when it is mixed with other drugs or alcohol.
Yep they do. I'm taking Walgreens house brand and they are in caps, But the Tylenol brand also comes in capsules, at least for the extended release and extra strength version. (Had knee replacement surgery 29 June, stopped taking anything but Tylenol about 2 weeks later. Still take it, but generally only 3 times a day, rather than 4. That will change, as I'm having the other knee replaced next Tuesday, 24 Aug.
Using Aleve instead of Tylenol for an asthmatic.
Also good for migraines too if taken early enough.
Of course lurkers, consult your physician about what’s best for you.
Good Luck!
also causes hepatitis which the company also has ignored.
well, one problem might be that those with asthma and allergies are told to use tylenol (acetaminophen) instead of aspirin or NSAIDS like Motrin or Advil, because NSAIDS and aspirin can cause asthma.
So is it the cause, or just a bad sample?
Also, most teenagers never take any pain reliever. So is the population that takes tylenol/acetaminophen biased toward those who have other medical problems that could be associated with asthma?
Alleve is the best pain killer of all the “over the counter” ones, in my experience.
But it can cause ulcers. I take it for arthritis when I’m hurting, but can’t take it every day because it makes my stomach hurt.
If you have to take it, take it with Prilosec, and that lowers the problem, but doesn’t eliminate it.
As for tylenol: if it works, it’s the best but doesn’t work for me.
Normally cold or flu or ailment prompts one to dose themselves with Tylenol and all three conditions are known Asthma triggers.
Chicken or the egg?
Acetaminophen is used in a lot of cold remedies. Don’t asthma symptoms frequently follow colds? Maybe the asthma is a result of cold germs and not the acetaminophen taken by these kids.
A lot of natural biochemicals sport the benzene ring, or some variant upon it.
Correct. From Wikipedia:
"While generally safe for use at recommended doses (1,000 mg per single dose and up to 4,000 mg per day for adults, up to 2,000 mg per day if drinking alcohol), acute overdoses of paracetamol can cause potentially fatal liver damage and, in rare individuals, a normal dose can do the same; the risk is heightened by alcohol consumption. Paracetamol toxicity is the foremost cause of acute liver failure in the Western world, and accounts for most drug overdoses in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.