Is it true that some medicines can be dangerous for the liver?
Yes, it is. A vast majority of medicines are metabolized in the liver, which may in some cases result in an injury to liver cells (hepatocytes). In such a case, we talk about drug-induced liver injury.1 Using excessive drug doses and taking multiple drugs that may mutually affect their metabolism at the same time may prove dangerous for your liver.1 One of the commonly used medicines that are potentially hepatotoxic is acetaminophen (paracetamol). It is available in single-ingredient medicines and in many fixed-combination medicines, hence the high risk of an overdose. You should remember that the maximum allowable daily dose of this compound (contained in painkillers and common cold remedies) is 4000 mg for adults.2 Liver injury symptoms may already be caused by taking only twice the maximum recommended daily dose.2 You can read more about the effect of medicines on the liver here: Read more