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For over hundreds of years, humans have relied on medicine to prolong their lives. Unfortunately, these medicines which were are a vital part of our survival have also resulted in many of our deaths. In 2001, prescription drugs were responsible for over 100 000 deaths in the United States of America. (www.geocities.com/freerusty/deaths.html) What most people do not understand is that certain quantities of anything can be lethal, whether it is mercury or water. At the recommended dosages, medicines such as Tylenol, cough syrup and caffeine pills can cure the ailment. However, if there is an overdose, intentional or accidental, it can be lethal. Each year, the American population consumes eight to nine billion tablets of Tylenol, making it obviously the most popular painkiller in North America. Acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) is also present in over 200 other over-the-counter medications, including cough syrups such as NyQuil. (www.cqs.com/tylenol.htm) Most people do not realize this, and overdosing on acetaminophen is possible. Tylenol recommends that a patient does not exceed 2600mg of the pill (325mg X 8 pills). If a person takes the maximum dosage of NyQuil alone, they are consuming 3000mg of the drug (1000mg X 90mL). (www.tylenol.com and http://www.vicks.com/products/nyquil_liquid.shtml) It is easy to see why overdosing on this analgesic is quiet easy. In fact, Dr. Lee, the director of the Clinical Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, stated that this analgesic, “becomes toxic at doses relatively close to the doses used in treatment.” Dr. Lee and colleagues conducted a study at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and found that from 1992 to 1995 there were 71 cases of acetaminophen overdoses, 21 of those being accidental (only 2-30g of the drug to relieve pain).
Approximate Word count = 1163
Approximate Pages = 4.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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