# Just a civilian with a question



## iamjacksragingbileduct (Nov 27, 2013)

I feel very uncomfortable here, as I'm not an EMT or anything like it. I'm a civilian with a question, and if I could ask it, I'll be out as quickly as I came in. I'm not even certain if I'm allowed to do this (ask), but I saw one or two others asking similar questions so I thought I would try. From what I have read, you're all very knowledgable, and to-the-point. I can't seem to find the information I'm looking for, and this site appears to have very real information. I've read the forum rules, and I _believe_ what I'm asking falls within them. 

I know a person. They live in Canada, where Tylenol with codeine is sold OTC. Because of some mild-moderate back pain, this person has been taking T1s for years. Well-over ten years. For the first few years, they were taking 3-4 tabs at a time, but never more than twice a day. Their stomach handled it well, and they admitted to liking the slight codeine buzz. They were taking them almost daily at times, and a few times a week other times. This went on for approximately seven years. 300mg Acetaminophen, 15mg Caffeine, and 8mg Codeine.

Incredibly, as unbelievable as it sounds, this person now takes 13 tablets in the morning, and 13 in the afternoon. 

That's 7,800mg of Acetaminophen a  day. For a year. :sad:

They rotate pharmacies/pharmacists so it doesn't become obvious. They are also aware that the amount is toxic, and their liver should be failing _right now_. The only adverse affect they seem to have is some pretty awful bruising on their legs. They start off a a deep kind of itch, and shortly after, a LARGE bruise will appear. A few years ago they went to the Dr about this, and they were sent to a Hematologist. 14 vials of blood later, and everything came back _normal_. I was stunned. How is that even possible?

Today, this person is walking, talking, functioning just fine. They're not jaundiced, they have tonnes of energy, and they run a busy household. FWIW, they're 44, 5'4 1/2, 110lbs. They have terrible eating habits (1 real meal a day, lots of caffeine) and they still keep going. 

I'm asking what I should be looking for, as I am convinced that they cannot stay healthy like this forever. Could their liver just..._fail_? What does Acetaminophen toxicity look like? What does liver failure look like? I want to scare this person, but at the moment they're feeling pretty invincible. They insist that they need to take the T1s for the chronic back pain, and insist that such a large quantity is required to work. If it means anything, they had out-patient surgery last year under GA. No problems, although the nurse told them afterwards that it had taken a larger-than-normal dose of propofol to put them out. Could this be attributed to the T1s? 

Thank you for letting me jump in here, and thank you for reading. You're all awesome people and real heros.

IAJRBD
h34r:


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## iamjacksragingbileduct (Nov 27, 2013)

I should add, this person also takes 225mg Effexor (x6 years) and 0.5mg Eltroxin (x4 months).

TIA


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## abckidsmom (Nov 27, 2013)

Sorry, but medical advice is not allowed per our forum rules.


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