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BEWARE!
READ THAT LABEL FIRST!

Painkillers that you buy in a drugstore can cause liver failure and be fatal. Be sure to take only the amount that appears in the directions on the container!

How can it happen? The drug contained in many over the counter medicines, like Tylenol, Excedrin, Motrin, Aleve, is converted to a toxic substance by an enzyme in our livers. In the correct amounts, the liver can handle it.

If you take these drugs in dosages higher than stated in the directions, an overload of toxic substance can damage the liver and even cause liver failure. You may also be in even higher danger if you combine these drugs with alcohol or on a really empty stomach. And guys, you can't live without your liver. This means that you may need a liver transplant to survive.

So NOW YOU KNOW! READ THE LABEL FIRST AND BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!

Want to read more about this topic? An article appeared in The Washington Post Health Section on Tuesday, February 11, 2003; go to www.thewashingtonpost.com to read the article.

 

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