Acetaminophen Toxicity

Acetaminophen toxicity, also known as paracetamol poisoning or acetaminophen poisoning, is caused by excessive use of the medication paracetamol, most commonly at doses above 7 grams. Most people have few or non-specific symptoms in the first 24 hours after an overdose, such as fatigue and abdominal pain, before later symptoms including yellowish skin, blood clotting problems, and confusion can develop; risk factors include alcoholism and malnutrition, and treatment involves activated charcoal, the antidote acetylcysteine, and in severe cases liver transplant. More than 100,000 cases occur per year in the United States, and death results in about 0.1 percent of cases.