Acetaminophen Adduct Formation in Non-Drinkers Taking Therapeutic Doses of Acetaminophen for Ten Consecutive Days

Acetaminophen is commonly used to treat fever or pain. Your body clears acetaminophen by processing it in the liver. During the processing, some of the acetaminophen may bind to proteins in the liver. The protein-acetaminophen product is called an "adduct." After a large acetaminophen overdose, the liver has to process a lot of acetaminophen, so large amounts of adducts are formed. However, we have found that lower levels may be formed even when people take recommended doses. The purpose of this study is to measure the amount of adducts formed when healthy people who do not drink alcohol take normal doses of acetaminophen for 10 days.