Acetaminophen safe? I'm just curious. DH yesterday asked me what Tylenol does to your brain. As I did more research it…

My father developed a ulcer from using ibuprofen and it was so bad that he passed away. They couldn't fix it properly and it perforated. He was leaking bile into his blood stream for quite some time before they found out was was wrong. Part of colon had to be removed bc it had died from the bile. He had 3 stomach surgeries to fix the ulcer in under a month. The last one he had claimed his life. He took ibuprofen at least 4x a day to stop his feet from tingling and his back from hurting. He broke his back twice and his spine was fusing together. He had diabetes and his feet were severely affected by it. I refuse to use it anymore. I use to use it as a kid when I'd get a headache. But now I rather suffer for days on end with a migraine than take anything. We don't give the girls anything. I only had to give dd1 antibiotics when she had a uti due to a fused labia.

It's difficult because most over the counter drugs can have bad side effects.

We tend to avoid ibuprofen in our house.

DH can't take ibuprofen due to previous stomach ulcers & every time Iv given it to DD she has had an upset stomach.

I know there are circumstances where ibuprofen cannot be taken. I'm not bashing anyone who uses Tylenol. I was just unaware of the studies. That's all. I do know Tylenol can mess up your liver very bad. But everything in small doses.

I'm allergic to NSAIDs (aspirin, Advil, ibuprofen, etc) so I have to take Tylenol ? I only take it when I absolutely need it, but I think that aspirin is a much better option.

I read a study that suggested taking Tylenol on a regular basis over a long period of time can actually lower your empathy. I do believe this as I am not an empathetic person at all, very intolerant if you will, and all through my high school years I suffered migraines and headaches on a frequent basis. Tylenol was my family's go to drug. Please no judging, headaches and migraines run in my family, my mom wasn't being neglectful about my health.

I do not trust man made medicines, at all! But I do see the necessity.

@kit, are you immune to it because you took it a lot? Just curious.

Doctors love to write prescriptions for viral and bacterial infections. Antibiotics won't cure viral infections and a lot of doctors still give a prescription for it. That's why it's so important for us to do our homework and not put 100% trust.

My dd has never had a ear infection thank goodness. If she did. I would treat it naturally for a couple days and than get her meds if it isn't clearing up.

Fevers are actually a good thing. It is the body's way of fighting infection. I do lots of skin to skin. Cool washcloth on dd's forehead. If it gets to 103, that's when I give meds. 103 is my comfort level.

For kids with fevers or aches Tylenol is good in small amounts. I would not give Ibuprofen to anyone that can not keep food down as it can cause ulcers and irritation to the stomach. I used to only take ibuprofen and got a stomach ulcer and I am allergic to Tylenol so now I suffer through the pain, unless its a fever. Always ask the doctor which one is going to work the best for you.

See, when my kids' doctor say they have an ear infection, at least 50% of the time they look fine to me. I always fill the script, but I only make them take it if they start running fever. Is that bad? I've been too embarrassed to admit this to our doctor. Most of the time my kids never develop symptoms and I just throw the antibiotics out. It kind of sounds like what you guys do, though...?

I try to clear it up naturally before resorting to antibiotics.

Do you guys use antibiotics for ear infections and stuff?

I've never found Tylenol to be effective for anything other than one time when I had a horrific fever so they had me alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen. It did bring down my fever. As far as pain reliever, it does nothing for me. Doesn't seem to help my daughter even for a fever. I give her ibuprofen instead which helps. Only if she has a pretty high fever though.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/otc-painkiller-tylenol-acetaminophen-381445

@hershey its during the use.

Yeah nothing has said to be confirmed. Its just said studies. But I've noticed Tylenol doesn't really do anything for dd. Or me in that case. And sadly I'm sick and 26w and can't take blood thinners. So I just gotta suffer. Blech.

I always read MTHFR as mother f*** er. :)

It's very rare we do anything for fever & don't "treat" anything under 102-103 (in babes older than 3 months).

Generally first go to is fluids, popsicles, skin to skin. Then I'll reach for the lavender EO and apply that diluted to help manage it if it's still rising. Occasionally, if I'm worried about dehydration bc DD isn't really wanting to drink much I'll get the ibuprofen.

@runsyellowlites

That is very, very interesting stuff. I appreciate your response.

ETA: what do you use as a fever reducer for over 6 months?

Tylenol causes your liver to depletes its stores of glutathione which is necessary for both a strong immune system response & for your body to be able to properly detox.

This is even bigger of a concern for those who have MTHFR mutations, a fairly common mutation effecting 30-40% of the population, bc the inability to properly methylated b vitamins already effects adequate production of glutathione.

The AAP also noted that for under the age of 2 there is zero evidence showing Tylenol effective as a "pain reliever" and motioned to have it removed from the label.

We do not use Tylenol in our home at all. For under 6 months of age we use diluted lavender EO to manage fevers.

I had a killer sinus infection in my 6th month. I was taking 2 Tylenol every 6 hours for almost a week, I couldn't stand the pain and Dr was holding out on antibiotics. I developed a liver condition in my 9th month and I've always wondered if it was my excessive Tylenol use.

I thought studies have been made that autism is genetic or something like that and not "caused"

Tylenol or ibuprofen should really only be used when completely necessary. Of course there's side affects and too much use is bad.

What's crazy is when you end up taking 12 different meds to compensate for the side effects of another med you're taking. It's a never ending cycle.. I work in a pharmacy and it amazed me the amount of prescriptions one person takes ?

Affect focus short term (while the medication has taken affect), or after repeated use?

There have been tests that show that acetaminophen effects your focus. I can post the article. Also it can cause liver damage. And they said it could maybe be what gives kids a higher chance of developing autism.

I always wonder about the effects of these medicines we take every day without thinking twice...

What do the studies say?