Alcohol isn't the only beverage to avoid if you take painkillers

(1)

Alcohol isn't the only beverage to avoid if you take painkillers

Doctors have warned for years not to drink alcohol when you take acetaminophen. The combination of alcohol and this painkiller can damage your liver. But researchers at the University of Washington say this isn't the only potentially lethal combination to watch out for. And nobody is warning you about it, except me.

In their recent study, the researchers found two other beverages that can cause a harmful interaction - coffee or soft drinks. They say the combination of acetaminophen and caffeine can be dangerous.

Acetaminophen, otherwise known as Tylenol or Anacin-3, is an ingredient in Percocet and Vicodin. You'll also find it in many cold and flu medications. When it breaks down, researchers found, acetaminophen produces a toxic byproduct. But that's not all! They also discovered that caffeine triples the amount of this toxin. This is the same toxin that causes liver problems when you mix the painkiller with alcohol. Other substances, including Phenobarbital and St John's wort, boost the levels of this same byproduct.

And if you suffer from migraines or menstrual pain, watch out! Some drug manufacturers deliberately combine acetaminophen with caffeine to treat these ailments. For instance, Excedrin is one that's loaded with caffeine. If you're taking any of these drugs, lower your caffeine consumption to a minimum. Don't drink more than one or two servings a day - especially if you're also drinking alcohol.

Bottom line: Take acetaminophen only when necessary. And take as little as possible. If you can't avoid this painkiller, try not to drink caffeine or alcohol. While studies have shown liver damage with high amounts of either caffeine or alcohol, some people are more sensitive than others to toxins.

What if you simply can't avoid caffeine or alcohol while taking acetaminophen?

We all know alcohol is contra-indicated to be taken with Tylenol.

(2)

Long-time alcohol users who take acetaminophen in therapeutic or modestly excessive doses are at risk for severe hepatic injury and possibly acute liver failure. Diagnosis may be difficult because presenting symptoms are vague. The authors review management of acetaminophen toxicity in both users and nonusers of alcohol and emphasize the need for greater awareness among healthcare providers and acetaminophen users of this preventable and treatable condition.

Adding caffeine to acetaminophen just increases the toxicity of the pain reliever, yet is done routinely. Our Livers are taxed to the max already by the free radical bombardment our bodies are faced with every day, the stresses of modern life and the constant Chemical stew we eat, breathe and drink in all day- every day are one of the main reasons we are subjected to a myriad of life-threatening diseases in epidemic proportions.

I simply don't take any acetaminophen, if it is at all possible. I allow my brain's endorphins to relieve my pain, Now this doesn't always work, sometimes I hurt really bad at night and cannot sleep, if a heatuing pad or hot shower don't work and the Nikken far infrared machine doesn't help enough I do take one regular strength tylenol. I think I've had one since January of this year.

Mostly I rely on CellPower™ everyday keeps me from ever getting sick. I take it for the ph adjusting, the enzymes and protection from infectious illnesses. Also:
FLAX SEED OIL for my colon, but of course
~Glutathione-the master antioxidant is a great helper to counteract many diabetic complications.
~4 essential minerals for diabetics
~SELENIUMhelps immune system,fights infection and aids circulation
~MAGNESIUMhelps to relax you, aids stress and muscle relaxing
~CHROMIUMimproves insulin sensitivity, and helps lower blood sugar.
~ZINC especially to help you heal.
~coconut oil


for the Omega-3~6 balance and losing weight

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-----THE GARDEN GNOME


~~~jokes and stuff~~~
Education is what survives when what has been
learned has been forgotten.
-- B. F. Skinner, New Scientist, May
21, 1964

If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all
the impersonators would be dead.
-- Johnny Carson

Look for the ridiculous in everything and you
will find it.
-- Jules Renard

I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then
I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that
I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to
travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't
fall down.
-- Mitch Hedberg

~~~
If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the
happiest man alive.
-- Samuel Goldwyn

'Who are you and how did you get in here?' 'I'm a
locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.'
-- Leslie Nielsen, as Lieutenant
Frank Drebin, "Police Squad"

Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never
judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And
ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.
-- Ronald Reagan

Men live in a fantasy world. I know this because
I am one, and I actually receive my mail there.
-- Scott Adams

~~~
A prisoner in jail receives a letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, I have decided to plant some lettuce in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?" The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all mail, replied in a letter: "Dear Wife, whatever you do, do not touch the back garden. That is where I hid all the money." A week or so later, he received another letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, You wouldn't believe what happened, some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up all the back garden." The prisoner wrote another letter back: "Dear wife, now is the best time to plant the lettuce."


~~~
My husband and I have always exchanged chores around the house, including doing the dishes, which I hate to do, and mowing the lawn, which he hates to do. This worked to our mutual satisfaction until he began to be bothered by people in passing cars staring at him as he relaxed while I mowed.

He solved the problem by presenting me with a T-shirt to wear while I was cutting the grass. On the front, big letters said: "IT'S ALL RIGHT." The back of the T-shirt proclaimed: "HE DOES THE DISHES."
~~~
An out-of-town fellow pilot missed a turn to his gate at LaGuardia Airport in New York, a harmless mistake that nonetheless ruffles the feathers of the ground controllers. I heard one of the controllers, a woman, holler through the radio, "Where do you think you're going?" She followed with a torrent of harshly worded instructions.

Then came a third voice. "Hey," an unidentified pilot remarked, "wasn't I married to you once?"


~~~
While I was a clerk in a store, a regular customer came to my counter and started writing a check for her purchases. "This is the last check you'll see of mine with the name Olsen," she announced happily. "My new checks will have the name Harrington."

"My congratulations to the lucky man!" I replied.

In a less cheerful voice, she said, "Harrington is my maiden name. I'm getting a divorce."
~~~
His aching back made it impossible for my friend's husband to get a decent night's rest on their lumpy mattress. "Until I feel better, I'm going to sleep on the couch," he announced. Ordinarily, a spouse moving out of the bedroom isn't a good sign for the marriage. So his wife couldn't resist: "Okay, but as soon as we have an argument you're back in our bed."
~~~
I wish for all of you a marvelous and exciting day filled with great surprises and overwhelming peace.

SOURCES
(1)http://www.womenshealthletter.com/alert-detail.php?ha_id=148&searchText=acetaminophen
(2)http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2000/01_00/draganov.htm