Tylenol and Triglycerides

  To whom it may concern:
  I've been somewhat addicted to tylenol and have been taking an average 13,000 mg of tylenol/week for apprx. 12 years.  I recently had a blood test for health insurance and was found to have high levels of triglycerides.  I've asked a few nurses that I know and they all said that liver damage may be the cause of this.  I do not drink much alcohol, and honestly did not think tylenol alone would be that bad for me.  I'm an otherwise healthy 26 year old male.  Unfortunately my family does have a history of stroke-I've recently given up red meat and am trying to kick the tylenol-so, any suggestions?Is it possible that I've irreversible damage?  Any thing to rejuvinate my liver?
Dear Stan,
In many types of liver disease cumulative injury and damage can occur with different insults to the liver. For example, in patients with liver damage secondary to hepatitis C viral infection who also drink alcohol it has been shown that their liver disease tends to progress and accelerate more rapidly than in patients who do not drink alcohol. In your case, large doses of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and a high fat diet (leading to high triglyceride levels and fatty liver) can work together to damage the liver. The mixture of alcohol and acetaminophen has also been shown to be extremely hepatotoxic.  In most cases, damage secondary to acetaminophen (unless large doses are acutely ingested or normal doses with alcohol) is reversible with time after the drug is discontinued. Damage to the liver from high fat diets is also usually reversible with weight loss. Although, not always a good indicator of how much liver damage is present, blood tests called liver enzymes can be obtained as an initial test  to see if they are in the normal range. I hope you find this information helpful.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you wish to be seen at our institution please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians' Office and make an appointment to see Dr. Muszkat, one of our experts in Gastroenterology.
HFHSM.D.-ym
*Keywords: liver disease, acetaminophen, fatty liver