KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) — Millions of people take it every day without a thought. It can help heal headaches, relieve other pains, and bring down fevers. But it can also poison you.

It is acetaminophen sold under the brand name Tylenol.

While acetaminophen is a very effective drug when used as directed, it is dangerous when used in excess. Many do not recognize the danger.

Little did Katlyn Bokhoven realize how dangerous that could be. The 29-year-old said she just started a new job but her insurance hasn’t started yet. When she got stomach pains, she took paracetamol. The pain didn’t go away, so she took more, every day for weeks.

“I tried to use what I knew to be a safe solution,” Bokhoven said.

She went on vacation and continued to take medication to overcome the pain. She said she probably took double the amount before it all fell apart.

The accident led to her hospitalization.

Within a week, Bokhoven’s condition deteriorated. She grew weaker and weaker, but her pain continued. She was taken to an emergency room for treatment and then fell into a coma.

She had paracetamol poisoning and it was serious. Bokhoven would need a liver transplant.

dr Ryan Taylor of the University of Kansas Health System said cases like Bokhoven’s are more common than most people realize.

“We see about one or two patients a week who come into the hospital with either an intentional or an unintentional acetaminophen overdose,” he said. “(Patients) think they’re just taking too much. More is better. They will experience more pain relief by taking more pills and not thinking about taking more of the recommended doses because they want more pain relief.”

He says they don’t realize the more they take, the more poison they become.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 56,000 people visit the emergency room for acetaminophen toxicity each year. 500 of them will die. About half of these emergency room visits are accidental poisonings.

Here in the US, acetaminophen is readily available. You can buy hundreds of pills at once. It’s also very commonly used in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, other pain relievers, and even sleep aids. It is also used in prescription medications such as Vicodin and Percocet. You can see the list of common medications here.

Doctors say it’s important to read over-the-counter drug labels and talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your prescription medications. According to the Liver Foundation, at least 600 other medicines contain acetaminophen. It is the most common active ingredient in America.

Here are warning signs of overdose:

Other countries are working to limit access to the drug. In the UK, paracetamol is called paracetamol, but that’s not the only difference. The number of pills you can buy at one time is limited. And it’s kept behind the counter – similar to how Sudafed is handled. Medical journals have shown that it reduces suicides and the need for liver transplants due to overdose. This report can be read here.

Long road to recovery

Bokhoven spent months in the hospital, then even more time in a rehabilitation center after her liver transplant. She had to regain simple skills like walking. Almost a year after her horrific ordeal, Bokhoven is back at work and mostly her old self again. She can enjoy walks with her boyfriend and their dogs. She hopes sharing her story will warn others about the dangers of overuse of acetaminophen.

“If we hadn’t come (to the ER) that day, I wouldn’t have survived,” Bokhoven said. “I would have died or shut down completely.”

She said she is grateful to the providers at St. Luke’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center who took care of her.

Doctors emphasize that when used correctly, acetaminophen is safe and effective. They also warn that paracetamol and alcohol are not tolerated.

Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) — Millions of people take it every day without a thought. It can help heal headaches, relieve other pains, and bring down fevers. But it can also poison you.

It is acetaminophen sold under the brand name Tylenol.

While acetaminophen is a very effective drug when used as directed, it is dangerous when used in excess. Many do not recognize the danger.

Little did Katlyn Bokhoven realize how dangerous that could be. The 29-year-old said she just started a new job but her insurance hasn’t started yet. When she got stomach pains, she took paracetamol. The pain didn’t go away, so she took more, every day for weeks.

“I tried to use what I knew to be a safe solution,” Bokhoven said.

She went on vacation and continued to take medication to overcome the pain. She said she probably took double the amount before it all fell apart.

The accident led to her hospitalization.

Within a week, Bokhoven’s condition deteriorated. She grew weaker and weaker, but her pain continued. She was taken to an emergency room for treatment and then fell into a coma.

She had paracetamol poisoning and it was serious. Bokhoven would need a liver transplant.

dr Ryan Taylor of the University of Kansas Health System said cases like Bokhoven’s are more common than most people realize.

“We see about one or two patients a week who come into the hospital with either an intentional or an unintentional acetaminophen overdose,” he said. “(Patients) think they’re just taking too much. More is better. They will experience more pain relief by taking more pills and not thinking about taking more of the recommended doses because they want more pain relief.”

He says they don’t realize the more they take, the more poison they become.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 56,000 people visit the emergency room for acetaminophen toxicity each year. 500 of them will die. About half of these emergency room visits are accidental poisonings.

Here in the US, acetaminophen is readily available. You can buy hundreds of pills at once. It’s also very commonly used in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, other pain relievers, and even sleep aids. It is also used in prescription medications such as Vicodin and Percocet. You can see the list of common medications here.

Doctors say it’s important to read over-the-counter drug labels and talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your prescription medications. According to the Liver Foundation, at least 600 other medicines contain acetaminophen. It is the most common active ingredient in America.

Here are warning signs of overdose:

Other countries are working to limit access to the drug. In the UK, paracetamol is called paracetamol, but that’s not the only difference. The number of pills you can buy at one time is limited. And it’s kept behind the counter – similar to how Sudafed is handled. Medical journals have shown that it reduces suicides and the need for liver transplants due to overdose. This report can be read here.

Long road to recovery

Bokhoven spent months in the hospital, then even more time in a rehabilitation center after her liver transplant. She had to regain simple skills like walking. Almost a year after her horrific ordeal, Bokhoven is back at work and mostly her old self again. She can enjoy walks with her boyfriend and their dogs. She hopes sharing her story will warn others about the dangers of overuse of acetaminophen.

“If we hadn’t come (to the ER) that day, I wouldn’t have survived,” Bokhoven said. “I would have died or shut down completely.”

She said she is grateful to the providers at St. Luke’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center who took care of her.

Doctors emphasize that when used correctly, acetaminophen is safe and effective. They also warn that paracetamol and alcohol are not tolerated.

Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.