Tylenol (acetaminophen) is a common household painkiller. Although widely used since 1950, this over-the-counter drug has serious health effects when ingested in large doses. Large amounts of acetaminophen can cause liver damage or liver failure.

Despite acetaminophen’s reputation as a safe painkiller, 400 people die each year from acetaminophen toxicity caused by high doses of the drug.

Acetaminophen and Liver Failure

Liver failure is a serious condition resulting in lost wages and steep medical bills. The Baltimore, Maryland defective drug lawyers at the Yost Legal Group can determine if you have suffered legal damages from acetaminophen.

You can easily take too many Tylenol, which can lead to liver failure. Acetaminophen makers have consistently hidden the facts about the health effects of the drug. In addition to extreme mental anguish, liver failure can lead to:

  • Excess fluid in the brain
  • Kidney failure
  • Bleeding problems
  • Infections

Liver failure is sometimes treated with medication, but some cases require a liver transplant.

Soon after acetaminophen was approved, the defective drug started causing liver damage in some consumers. The FDA and pharmaceutical companies ignored these adverse health effects, and created extra-strength Tylenol, which contains an even higher dosage in a single pill.

Despite the fact that Tylenol is capable of causing severe liver damage, the labeling on Tylenol did not indicate this severity until recently. The marketing of Tylenol creates the image of a product that is safe enough to be taken whenever you have pain, and the danger of ingesting too much Tylenol is never mentioned in advertisements for the drug.


More than Half a Century of Deceit

Having a longer history on the market than other drugs, acetaminophen was approved as a pain medication in 1950. Since this time, McNeil Pharmaceuticals has downplayed the toxicity of acetaminophen:

  • Although cases of liver failure caused by acetaminophen began to appear as early as the 1960s, the FDA did not require Tylenol to put warnings about liver toxicity on their packaging until 33 years later, in 2010.
  • Tylenol was aggressively marketed as safe and the most trusted drug of physicians, and these advertisements have never made mention of the risks posed by acetaminophen.
  • McNeil Pharmaceuticals has repeatedly increased the dosages of single pills (calling these versions “extra strength” and “arthritis strength”) without warning of the health risks posed by taking too many.

If you have liver damage and a history of Tylenol use, you may have a legal claim. It is important to act quickly with acetaminophen claims. Call The Yost Legal Group today and speak to an attorney for a free initial consultation about your case at 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529).

Free consultation: Call 1-800-YOST LAW or complete the contact form below to learn more about how we can help.