Side Effects of Using 1000 mg of Tylenol Per Day

Tylenol, a brand name for acetaminophen, is an over-the-counter pain medication. Tylenol is also an ingredient in cold and sinus preparations and prescription narcotics. Doses of up to 4,000 mg a day are considered safe for most people, but people with existing liver damage should take less. Doses of 7,000 mg per day constitute an overdose for most people, states MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. Dosages in young children are weight based; 1,000 mg a day may constitute an overdose for a young child, according to MayoClinic.com.

People who drink alcohol regularly should limit Tylenol consumption. (Image: YekoPhotoStudio/iStock/Getty Images)

Side Effects in Normal Adults

Side effects in adults taking 1,000 mg a day of Tylenol occur rarely. Lightheadedness occurs most commonly, the Encyclopedia of Surgery states. Severe liver damage generally requires ingestion of 15,000 mg in a person weighing around 150 lbs., Drugs.com notes, but liver damage has rarely occurred at lower doses. Fasting may lower the amount needed to induce liver damage. Gallbladder pain and inflammation or pancreatic inflammation occurs rarely. Taking two or more tablets of Tylenol per day, 1,000 mg or more, long-term may increase the risk of kidney damage, Drugs. com reports. Skin rashes also occur rarely in normal doses. Two cases of low blood pressure have been reported at normal doses. Rarely, a drop in platelet count occurs at normal doses.

Side Effects in Infants

Children should take no more than 91 mg per pound of Tylenol in a 24-hour period, MayoClinic.com reports. A child weighing 10 lbs. should take no more than 910 mg in a single day, but a child this small is probably less than three months old and should not be given Tylenol without specific instructions from medical personnel under any circumstances. Symptoms of Tylenol overdose include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and lethargy. Symptoms of Tylenol overdose may not appear for 12 hours or more after ingestion, MedlinePlus explains.

Side Effects in Alcoholics

Tylenol can cause liver damage in large quantities. People who already have severe liver failure can't process the normal daily dose of Tylenol and may experience symptoms at low doses. People who drink two or more drinks a day regularly should not take more than 2,500 mg of Tylenol a day, Baylor College of Medicine warns. Liver toxicity symptoms include jaundice, nausea, irritability, confusion, diarrhea, vomiting and coma. Symptoms may include gastrointestinal effects such as gallbladder pain and acute pancreatitis.