ella asked
If I am taking the extra strength Tylenol (500 MG), how tablets would it take to exceed 4,000 mg?
Answer
While Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered to be a safe medication when taken at recommended doses, over dosage mistakes can easily happen from combining medications that contain acetaminophen or by simply taking too many tablets by accident. Tylenol is in many over-the-counter medications such as in those used for allergies (e.g. Coricidin), colds (e.g. DayQuil), and the flu (Mucinex Fast-Max Cold & Flu). Many prescription drugs also contain Tylenol.
High doses of Tylenol are unsafe and can damage the liver and you should never take more than one medication that contains Tylenol at a time.
Single doses over 1,500 milligrams and total daily doses over 4,000 milligrams have been shown to cause harm to individuals. It is important to read the labels of the medications you are using to understand how much Tylenol (acetaminophen) they contain. Below, we list some common Tylenol products and their milligram content of acetaminophen.
Tylenol Regular Strength
Tylenol regular strength contains 325 mg per tablet. Taking over 12 tablets of regular strength Tylenol (>4,000 mg) would be considered an overdose.
Tylenol Extra Strength
Tylenol extra strength contains 500 mg per tablet. Taking over 8 tablets of extra strength Tylenol (>4,000 mg) would be considered an overdose.
Tylenol Arthritis
Tylenol Arthritis 650 mg per extended release tablet. Taking over 6 tablets of Tylenol Arthritis (>4,000 mg) would be considered an overdose.
