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Why is an Overdose of Acetaminophen Fatal?

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Tylenol is a drug than is useful in lessening pain. The body of a human

makes use of many radical reactions for a wide variety of purposes, but these
reactions are controlled and localized. If uncontrolled, radicals are very dangerous
and can damage the DNA, enzymes, and ultimately cause death. Free radicals are
regularly produced as products of metabolism and the human body utilize a variety
of compounds to deal with such radicals. Tylenol is a drug that if used excessively
can cause death.
First of all, what is Tylenol? Tylenol is a drug which serves as a pain reliever
and a reducer of fever. For the safely of the person, he/she must only intake what is
recommended. An overdose of this drug can cause damage to a persons liver and
eventually causes death.
Free radicals can be formed when oxygen interacts with a certain molecule.
The structures of a free radical consists of an odd number of electrons or with
unpaired electron/s. free radicals have a variety of uses in the human body but once
these free radicals go out of control, they can start a chain reaction and cause
damage to DNA, and prevent cells from functioning properly.
In order to control such free radicals, the body uses a variety of compounds.
One such compound is Glutathione. Glutathione Is a radical scavenger produced in
the liver. Once an overdose of Tylenol is produced, the Glutathione, in the human
body goes down excessively which causes free radicals to become uncontrolled
which in turn can cause serious liver damage. If not treated immediately, it can
cause death.
N-acetylcysteine is an underutilized prescription drug which serves as a
treatment for acetaminophen poisoning by quickly restoring the Glutathione level
up to the protective level.
Because free radicals have unpaired electrons, they have the tendency to
search for another electron, which makes them very reactive to their surroundings
and can cause damage to molecules beside them. Glutathione is a free radical
scavenger which is produced in the liver. It helps in maintaining when Tylenol is
metabolized in the liver. Once Tylenol is metabolized in the liver, the level of
Glutathione goes down. In order to prevent fatal damage to ones liver. A person
must only intake what is recommended and as much as possible have a health liver.

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If an overdose of Tylenol occurs, it should be treated immediately to prevent

further damage. A way of treating this is with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) which acts
as an antidote by giving high concentration of cysteine to the liver.

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References
Antioxidants and Free radicals. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2015, from
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/antiox.html
Goepp, J. (2010). The Overlooked Compound That Saves Lives. Life Extension.
Klein, D. (2012). Organic Chemistry (2nd ed.). John Wiley and Sons.
Tylenol: Drug Uses, Dosage & Side Effects - Drugs.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March
19, 2015, from http://www.drugs.com/tylenol.html