Does acetaminophen affect liver function in alcoholic patients?
Saseen JJ Departments of Clinical Pharmacy and Family Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA. joseph.saseen@uchsc.edu Acetaminophen in doses of 4 g/d did not affect liver function of alcoholic patients in this randomized study. These results do not rule out the possibility of acetaminophen-induced liver failure in alcoholic patients, especially patients with pre-existing liver disease or those who continue to drink. Patient-oriented outcomes (ie, studying chronic acetaminophen use in alcoholics to determine the incidence of developing hepatic failure) ultimately would resolve this controversy. However, these data do cast doubt on the medical myth (based on case reports) that acetaminophen use in alcoholics causes hepatotoxicity.
