[RANT] Giving Mind Control Drugs to Children

[Mike Duvos]

"Perry E. Metzger" <perry at piermont.com> writes:

 > Of course, drugs can also be damaging. One tablet of
 > Tylenol is not so bad. 100 destroy your liver. An
 > occassional drink rarely hurts. Being falling down drunk at
 > all times is unlikely to improve your life.

I will never take Tylenol.

Acetaminophen is an interesting compound.  It is a potent
hepatotoxin, but is broken down "just in time" by liver enzymes
when it is taken in small quantities.  Hence it usually doesn't
kill you.

The Catch-22 here is that people whose livers are impaired for
various reasons may not be able to metabolize it before it does
its damage, and their livers may be destroyed.  These people may
not have any other symptoms which indicate to them that they have
liver disease.

There have been a number of cases of liver damage requiring
transplantation, one which involved taking only a couple of
tablets more than the recommended daily dose.

Coincidentally, one of the morning shows had a piece today on a
baby that required a liver transplant for a Tylenol overdose,
just before I read your message.  Seems the package of Tylenol
said to consult a physician for the correct dosage if a child was
under two years of age.  The mom called the doctor and he gave
her the dosage for "Children's Tylenol." The mother,
unfortunately, was using "Infant Tylenol", which is slightly more
concentrated, and the baby lost her liver as a result of this
unfortunate miscomunication.

Despite the marketing hype, the risks of acetaminophen just
aren't worth it for a medication whose only purpose is to serve
as a mild analgesic.

--
     Mike Duvos         $    PGP 2.6 Public Key available     $
     mpd at netcom.com     $    via Finger.                      $