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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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Sleep Disorders |
Tylenol PM usage12/13/2004 09:05AM |
My Room mate seeks medical care for depression, his Doctor currently has him on 76.0 mg a day of Paxil and 6mg. of Xanax. My question is: With these current medications is it normal for him to also take 14-15 Tylenol PM a night, every night for the past 3-4 months? Also his Family Physician currently gave him a prescription of Vicodin to take every 4-6 hours a day as needed. What are the health risk he is encountering by consuming all this medication?
I am not exactly sure what your question is pertaining to sleep medicine or sleep disorders, but I will try to address your questions regarding the medications.
Depression can be difficult to treat and often requires a combination of medication therapy and behavioral therapy (such as counseling). I would refer you to the patient's physician or psychiatrist for specific answers with regards to the medication used for treatment of this condition.
As far as the medications listed in your question, all can cause sleepiness or sedation and run the risk of making the individual excessively sleepy or fatigued. Of equal or greater concern is the excessive use of Tylenol PM. Tylenol PM contains acetaminophen and diphenhydramine (an antihistamine commonly known as Benadryl). The usual dose is 1-2 pills at bedtime to help an individual get to sleep. 14-15 pills is too high a dose. Excessive use of acetaminophen, either as a large one-time ingestion or at a chronic high dose use, can be toxic to the liver and cause severe, and sometimes fatal, liver damage. Excessive use of antihistamines can cause sedation or (in large ingestions) agitation, heart rhythm disturbances, constipation, dry mouth and trouble urinating. Chronic use of large doses of both these medications can therefore lead to significant health problems and potentially even death.
Your roommate should seek medical attention as soon as possible. He should discontinue use of the Tylenol PM immediately and see a physician as soon as possible for an evaluation. Blood tests for drug levels and liver function tests should be obtained. Delay in seeking help could lead to severe health problems.
If you would like information regarding sleep and sleep disorders, please do not hesitate to ask or, alternatively, you can obtain it on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine website at www.aasmnet.org. This website also contains a list of Sleep Centers across the country so you can locate one near you if need be.
Good luck!
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