Tylenol Shown to Be Ineffective in Relieving Certain Aches - East Idaho News
Health

Tylenol Shown to Be Ineffective in Relieving Certain Aches

  Published at

Getty 040215 Tylenol?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1427993125982Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images(SYDNEY) — Popping a couple of Tylenol for every ache and pain you might have isn’t such a great idea, according to researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia.

The study suggests that Tylenol, which is the brand name in the U.S. for the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen, does little to relieve arthritis of the knee and hip and has virtually no effect on lower back pain.

Lead author Gustavo Machado says that an analysis of 13 studies apparently contradicts current clinical guidelines that acetaminophen should be the first drug taken to ease the pain and discomfort of osteoarthritis and lower back pain.

Machado also points out that exceeding the maximum recommended dosage of 4,000 milligrams daily (about eight extra-strength Tylenol) can lead to serious liver damage.

Responding to the study, Tylenol maker McNeil Consumer Healthcare said that “The safety and efficacy profile of acetaminophen is supported by more than 150 studies over the past 50 years,” and advised that more research be done before there’s any consideration of changing the clinical guidelines of its use.


Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION