It was on the world news. Must have been ABC, NBC, or CBS. We didn't have the cable then. Mom had been gone for about a year. When I heard it, I'll admit I was a little pis*ed.
(Thanks for the condolences.)
Study: Acetaminophen, warfarin a dangerous combination
March 3, 1998
(CNN) -- Researchers say that those who take Tylenol or other forms of acetaminophen along with the widely used blood-thinning drug warfarin may face the risk of serious internal bleeding.
The study confirms a hazard that has been known for three decades but has been not been communicated to patients and seems to have been forgotten by many doctors.
Taking frequent doses of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, increases the blood-thinning effect of warfarin, according to an article published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
Millions of Americans take warfarin -- which is also known as Coumadin -- for heart conditions to prevent the formation of blood clots that could cause strokes. It is also taken to prevent clots around replacement heart valves and to dissolve clots in the legs or lungs.
"While acetaminophen generally is a very safe drug for pain and fever," people on warfarin who take acetaminophen for at least seven days in a row should be closely watched for bleeding, said the study's lead author, Dr. Elaine Hylek of Massachusetts General Hospital.
Warfarin's effects can be altered by many things -- illness, other medications, even certain foods -- so treatment involves a delicate balance: Too little blood-thinning can cause a clot that could travel to the brain and cause a stroke; too much thinning can lead to deadly internal bleeding.