Has anyone ever taken a handful of aspirins?

[Ronald_C.Semone]

I can’t count the number of times I have seen in a movie or read in a book (usually a mystery) a character after a bad night taking a handful of aspirin on the theory, I guess, that one or two wouldn’t be enough. Have any of you ever taken a handful of aspirin? Did it do any good? Any harm? What’s medical opinion on so doing?

[slortar]

I did it when I was in preschool. It was enough to make a good mouthful, probably 10-20 pills. No significant effects that I recall. Given that, I think you’d really have to try hard to OD on aspirin…

[susan]

No.

If confidentiality weren’t an issue I could point you to a few people who died or needed kidney transplants because they took “a handful” of aspirin, Tylenol, or both.

[Aspirin] Mortality/Morbidity: A 16% morbidity rate and a 1% mortality rate are associated with patients presenting with an acute overdose. The incidence of morbidity and mortality of a patient with chronic intoxication is 30% and 25%, respectively.

The following 4 categories are helpful for assessing the potential severity and morbidity of an acute, single event, nonenteric-coated, salicylate ingestion:

Less than 150 mg/kg - Spectrum ranges from no toxicity to mild toxicity

From 150-300 mg/kg - Mild-to-moderate toxicity

From 301-500 mg/kg - Serious toxicity

Greater than 500 mg/kg - Potentially lethal toxicity

Salicylate Toxicity: Practice Essentials, Etiology and Pathophysiology, Epidemiology

Overdosage [of acetaminophen] is a big problem. More than 200 million persons take acetaminophen each year. Of these, about 200 persons a year die of fulminant hepatic failure from acetaminophen overdosage. The median acute dose causing liver failure is 24 g (48 extra-strength tablets). Approximately half of the overdoses are intentional.

The severity of the overdose problem stems from the fact that acetaminophen is an extremely common medication often used casually. It is found in many combination drugs for cough and cold remedies and also in opioid medications for severe pain. For adults, the maximum daily dose is 4 g. Acetaminophen comes in 325-mg tablets; however, the 500-mg tablets are more common. Simply taking 2 Extra Strength Tylenol tablets more than 4 times a day will produce an overdose. It only takes a few days of exceeding the maximum dose to cause liver damage. If the patient adds alcohol to his or her acetaminophen regimen, the risk of damage increases further. Smoking also increases the risk of liver damage.

The easiest way to inadvertently overdose on acetaminophen is to combine various cough and cold medications with Tylenol. Most patients do not read labels carefully and are unaware that acetaminophen is present in many medications.
Acetaminophen Toxicity (internal endnote links removed)

[Antinor01]

Not personally, but I worked with a woman who regularly took at least 6 at a time. She was also the type who was extremely thin, yet ate all the time. (This was at a Wendy’s and she would eat at least $20-$25 worth of food in a shift)

[Ludovic]

@Shoshana

No.

If confidentiality weren’t an issue I could point you to a few people who died or needed kidney transplants because they took “a handful” of aspirin, Tylenol, or both.

The OP seems to refer to aspirin. While as a layman I’d certainly not suggest eating a handful of aspirin due to the few people who’d die due to oversensitivity, if a morbid form of betting were allowed I’d bet long odds that a person doing so would not die from eating the “handful” of aspirin you see them downing in movies.

Acetaminophen, not so much.

[NailBunny]

An ex-friend and neighbour once “accidentally” took a handful or two of asprin when he was upset with his new wife after she stayed out all night. I had the privelage of driving him to the hospital and waiting with him while he shivered and vomited. He ended up damaging his liver to the point where they warned him if he ever consumed an alcoholic beverage for the rest of his life, he’d probably die.

So yeah, it’s a bad thing.

[Lionne]

Yes, about a dozen. It gave me diarrhea for a few hours, otherwise nothing.

[bordelond]

Wow … it’s like an all-or-nothing thing, it seems. Many people are practically immune (or never perceive the damage?) and some end up in bad shape.

[gotpasswords]

If you want to scare someone, scarf down a handful of “regimen” aspirin. This is the low-dose stuff people take one-a-day for their heart, but for pain control, the label directs you to take something like eight or nine tablets.

[Horatio_Hellpop]

I regularly take three instead of the recommended two, usually Excedrin or a generic equivalent (Aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine). For a really bad sinus headache, nothing less will suffice.

[psychobunny]

I guess it’s time to fight some ignorance. First, let’s leave out acetominophen (tylenol) poisoning, which causes severe liver disease.

Here’s some information on salicylate (aspirin) poisoning:

link, link and link

Symptoms of salicylate poisoning typically occur three to six hours after ingestion and usually involve the central nervous, lung, gastrointestinal, and kidney systems. Classically, the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sweating, rapid breathing, ringing in the ears, and fever. In severe toxicity, there can be agitation, disorientation, and lethargy leading to seizures, coma and death. The diagnosis is usually suspected based on the clinical presentation as well as abnormal laboratory tests. The diagnosis is confirmed by high levels of the salicylates in the blood.

In the US: Data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ annual report indicate that, in 1998, a total of 14,253 exposures to salicylates were reported; of which, 3837 exposures were in patients younger that 6 years, and 5053 exposures were in patients older than 19 years. Of the total exposures for that year, 33 deaths were reported. These numbers include only pure aspirin formulations; toxic exposures to pharmaceuticals with aspirin in combination with other drugs are not included in this report.

The toxic dose of 150mg/kg for an average 70 kg person works out to 21 extra-strength, 32 regular strength, or about 130 baby aspirin.