BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — Poisonings are the number one cause of unintentional death in the United States.
According to Florida Poison Control, the top form of poisoning in the state right now is analgesics– pain medicines.
“One that we’re seeing a huge spike in right now is acetaminophen,” Florida Poison Control Media Specialist Mike McCormick said. “You may know, that’s the active ingredient in Tylenol.”
Many people take Tylenol, and officials said that is fine. It gets dangerous, though, when you pair it with another medicine containing acetaminophen.
“They’re taking the cough and cold, and they’re taking a maximum dose of acetaminophen, and when you put the two together, it becomes very highly toxic for your liver,” McCormick said.
Mccormick said people with COVID-19 might be more likely to make this mistake.
“They’re going out and buying cough and cold products that already have acetaminophen in it that they probably don’t realize,” McCormick said.
Cough and cold medicine, headache medicines, premenstrual relief pills, and nighttime formulas are all drugs that commonly consist of acetaminophen.
McCormick said when drugs end with -cet, like Percocet, it means they contain acetaminophen.
“It’s very toxic to the liver when taken in excess,” McCormick said. “When taken appropriately it’s a wonderful drug but we need to make sure that people are being mindful as they do that.”
According to Florida Poison Control, there were 223 potential exposures of analgesics or common over-the-counter medications across the central Panhandle in 2021.
If you think you may have taken too much acetaminophen or any medication, call the Poison Control Hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222.