Liver Damage .. FYI

I am not an expert.. I had a doctor give me a speech on this and give me some reading to do about it .. I used drugs for many years after learning about this.. It always haunted me, so I eventually quit Percocet and switched to Oxycontin.. I was so clever..  On Oxycontin, I spiraled out of control, which led me to being clean and here..

I am sure someone will tell me I got part of this wrong. I will submit that I am not an expert and invite you to challenge this or speak to a doctor about it. If your abusing Tylenol, I hope you read this ..

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When you take a Tylenol capsule, your liver get the job of metabolizing that acetaminophen, and eliminating it.

The liver has 3 different ways of dealing with Tylenol.  It produces different molecules.. call them molecule; S (sulphur), G (gluthion) and C (Cytochrome).

Tylenol will bind with molecule S or G and be eliminated from the body.. but Tylenol is a poison, so when it binds with molecule C, it creates a toxic soup called NAPQI..    All three happen..  

Molecule G will also bind with NAPQI and eliminate it from the body.. so normally Tylenol is easy to deal with for a healthy liver.

However, if you introduce a massive quantity of Tylenol, typically 4 - 7 grams (24 hours) ..  Molecule G is overwhelmed and the NAPQI starts to build up in the liver, causing damage.

If you add certain drugs to the mix, including Alcohol, Tegretol, Dilantin, Phenobarbital, and others.. these drugs cause the liver to produce massive quantities of Molecule C (Cytochrome) .. which is not a huge problem unless its mixed with Tylenol.  

The large quantities of Molecule C create large quantity's of NAPQI (when added to Tylenol) .. which easily overwhelm molecule G and poison the liver..

That is why alcohol and Tylenol are such a bad mix..

If you over do this on a regular basis, the liver suffers, you get liver damage.. This can easily be identified by blood tests.. If however you overdose the liver, which is often caused by a binge on pain pills while taking a new medication or drinking, the liver will get sick quickly..

The first symptoms are nausea and vomiting.. which most party goers think of as a hangover.. This happens 12 - 16 hours after the liver has gone toxic. (I cant believe I am still sick)

During the first 16 hours, doctors can give a patient a drug called Mucomyth.. Which creates a massive supply of Molecule G for the liver to get rid of NAPQI..  In cases of accidental overdose, where a patient realizes what they have done, this will save there life..

However, for the party abuser, the first stage of liver failure seems like a brutal hangover..  

After stage one, the person starts to feel better.. Its called the latent stage, and lasts up until about 48 hours..

At about 48 hours, symptoms start to appear, swollen abdomen, nausea, itching, bloody stools (black)..  As the liver stops working, the person develops high amounts of acid in the blood stream, which usually has already caused jaundice and causes kidney failure, coma and death..

The only way to be saved in the final stage is with a liver transplant. Tylenol poisoning is the most common reason for liver disease in the developed world.

Acetaminophen poisoning is actually an exact science. Emergency doctors will use a chart called an Acetaminophen Toxicity Nomogram to calculate your odd's of survival..  Family doctors will test for ALT and AST Enzyme levels in the bloodstream, these Enzymes are released into the bloodstream when the liver is damaged..

In my case, these levels are fine..  I had a " Liver panel" done and found that I have a high amount of bilirubin .. which causes jaundice..  I had not " offended my liver" in some time.. Oxy contains no Tylenol.  So I aced some tests, but did lousy in others..

When you go to a doctor, you need a liver panel blood test.. its 14 different tests plus a separate test for Bilirubin..
High levels of Bilirubin are caused by blocked bile ducts, alcohol abuse, tylenol abuse, Hep .. etc. etc. (in my case, I am betting on the drug abuse.. just sayin) ..

What is important is for people to realize that liver damage is not luck or metabolism.. its body weight vs Tylenol intake plus Alcohol intake..  

Each person's liver may be a bit different, but overall, its weight x abuse x added substance x time..