Caffeine and acetaminophen not good for hangovers

Hangover cure 'could be fatal'
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=67766&in_page_id=34
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A man with a hangover

It is a hangover cure used by millions of people worldwide – but mixing caffeine with paracetamol [acetaminophen ] could be deadly, scientists warned on Wednesday. Combining large quantities of coffee or energy drinks with several headache tablets can increase liver damage, a study claimed.

Professor Sidney Nelson, who led the research, said: 'People should know about this potentially harmful interaction. 'You don't have to stop taking paracetamol or stop taking caffeine products, but you do need to monitor your intake more carefully when taking them together, especially if you drink alcohol.'

Caffeine triples the amount of a toxic by-product created when paracetamol is broken down, the team's research revealed.

The toxin is the same as the substance responsible for liver damage and liver failure when alcohol and paracetamol react together.

Experts have warned for years that drinking too much alcohol while taking paracetamol can cause liver failure or even death. But this is the first time it has been suggested that combining caffeine and paracetamol could produce a similar effect. The liver is one of the few organs that can regenerate tissue if it has been damaged.

Prof Nelson said his team had not yet calculated exactly what doses of the combination might have a harmful effect on an adult body, but just 20 paracetamol tablets taken in one day, without any additional substance, can cause liver failure. The study by the team at the University of Washington is published in the American Chemical Society's Chemical Research in Toxicology journal.