Guest guest Posted January 11, 1999 Report Share Posted January 11, 1999 Dear Phil, Deborah and all The use of Tylenol in the presence of liver disease makes me very uneasy. The active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen (US), paracetamol (outside of US). The one serious side effect of this drug is liver toxicity. Liver toxicity appears with daily doses in excess of 10 grams or in the presence of alcohol. There are ways of treating this liver toxicity, but the liver damage can be life-threatening. Tylenol, by itself, should not aggravate RLS. Tylenol is marketed in many combinations. Two of the combined ingredients are pseudo-ephedrine and antihistamines (either Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or ChlorTrimeton (chlorpheniramine)). There are other drugs added for relief of various symptoms. While I never dispute anyone's claim that any drug either helped or aggravated their RLS, I have not been impressed with the incidence of aggravation of RLS by pseudo-ephedrine or any other nasal decongestant. On the other hand, the aggravation of RLS by antihistamines, in some people, is well known. Others can take antihistamines with no problem. Pseudo-ephedrine should not be taken by people who are also taking MAO-inhibitors such as Parnate, Nardil, Marplan, some tricyclic antidepressants and others. These people should also not eat large amounts of certain cheeses because of their tyramine content. The result is elevated blood pressure and agitation. Because some of the drugs used in treating Parkinson's disease are of the MAO-inhibitor type, a warning appears in the PDR about Parkinson's Disease and pseudo-ephedrine. This warning only applies to people taking MAO-inhibitors to treat their PD. The usual drugs taken for RLS are not MAO-inhibitors, though some of the antidepressants that may be used do belong to this class of drugs. Like with any drug or drug combination, you have to know what you are taking and what side effects can occur. Tylenol is a good drug in the right setting. So is pseudo-ephedrine. In the wrong setting, both can be dangerous. Dr. Levin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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