As it gets colder out and finals are around the
corner, it is possible that you will find yourself getting coming down with a
little cold. With that in mind, it might be a good time to think about using
over-the-counter cold remedies responsibly. With that in mind, indulge me as I
share a short story about some bad advice I once received.
When I was in college, I was in the college
choir (they let anyone join, and I was terrible). During my senior year, we had
a new choir director and he just did not understand the way that my alma mater
functioned. By that, I mean that he scheduled a Sunday afternoon choir concert
at the end of one of the biggest party weekends of the year.* When he realized
what he had done, it was too late to change the concert, but he was worried
that he would have a choir full of individuals who were…less than bright-eyed
and bushy-tailed. With that in mind, he gave use some words of wisdom about how
to take care of ourselves, should we find ourselves drinking. This was his
advice: drink a glass of water between every drink and when the night was over,
drink another cup along with two Tylenol to minimize the chances of a headache. The other thing that he suggested is that rather than yelling, we shriek a little in an affected way to minimize the strain on our vocal cords. I wish that I could type out what it sounded like, but it really is something that just had to be heard in person.
So what’s wrong with his advice? It sounds
pretty reasonable, particularly when we remember that taking ibuprofen with
alcohol is a bad idea because of the potential to that the two together will cause
bleeding in the GI tract. Points to my choir director for recognizing that. We
also know that one of the causes of a hang-over is dehydration since ethanol
inhibits ADH (anti-diuretic hormone), thereby decreasing the amount of fluid
that we retain. Points again to my choir director for recognizing that necessity
of replenishing our fluids to minimize our hang-overs and also to make sure
that our throats weren’t hoarse (the fluid working with the modified yelling
techniques, that is). The fatal flaw in my professor’s advice is that alcohol
and Tylenol both require processing by the liver. More to the point, Tylenol can
actually be toxic to the liver. It is the toxicity of Tylenol that informs the
recommendation not to exceed 3000mg per day (10 pills) of Tylenol and the
recommendation that Tylenol and alcohol ought not to be mixed at all. For the
sake of your liver, keep the Tylenol and alcohol separate.
So what does this story have to do with colds?
Tylenol is frequently used for pain and fevers and it’s effective for this
purpose. The holidays are coming up right along with the prime-time for colds
meaning that alcohol and colds will likely be mixing. It might be tempting to
pop a couple of Tylenol before going to a party or before bed to keep the cold
symptoms at bay. This is perfectly reasonable, just be sure to keep your liver
in mind before you also imbibe that holiday drink.
Moral of the story: don't believe everything your choir director says unless it's music-related.
Moral of the story: don't believe everything your choir director says unless it's music-related.
Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2014/November/could-a-cold-remedy-make-you-sicker?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=112314kr1&utm_content=healthrelease
Well Dukes, I do appreciate this post---especially since I drink like a fish. In college, I got the same advice from upperclass men on how to survive UCSB (The University of Blank and Beer, we'll let you use your imagination there). My alma mater has a reputation for containing students that a brilliant, studious, and on point by day, and little social creatures by night. I just find it funny how convoluted medicine can become and how wrong people of the general public can be. As a MS student now well past the profligacy of my undergraduate career, I quickly recognize Tylenol and alcohol as a big no-no. But as someone who once was susceptible to bad advice, I started to wonder how remedies like this gain momentum without any real thought to the science behind them. I think as people, we are psychologically programmed to assert that we have a handle on things to our subordinates, even if we really have no clue. We feel the urge to inspire an air of wisdom on our younger friends, make up things that seem sound in our heads to provide some sort direction for them. As Scientist, be Speculative!
ReplyDeleteGood piece, I have always been told not to over medicate with Ibuprofen or Tylenol because of the harmful effects metabolizing too much can do. They are, however, different chemical compounds which allows one to alter between Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen in appropriate dosages, if in a lot of pain, because they are broken down differently avoiding toxicity. The reason that Tylenol, Advil and alcohol do not mix is absolutely tied to the fact that they are both metabolized in the liver but specifically it is the family of enzymes located in the liver that does the metabolizing. All are broken down by the Cytochrome P450 family of enzymes but Tylenol and alcohol breakdown specifically creates toxic metabolites that need to be further broken down. Too much of either or too much of both at the same time leads to a build up these toxic metabolites that cannot be processed efficiently and can lead to hepatoxicity. The best way to avoid the headache is not to take a pain reliever that may over work the liver but to just hydrate.
ReplyDeleteCompares metabolic breakdown of all three in case anyone wants to read it:
Ibuprofen - http://www.pharmgkb.org/pathway/PA166041114
Acetaminophen - https://www.pharmgkb.org/pathway/PA165986279
Alcohol - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA72/AA72.htm