Is Tylenol Effecting Your Brain?

A recent study published in Psychological Science found that people who take Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol not only experience less pain, but less emotions as well.  

The research study gave a group of people a typical dose of acetaminophen while giving the control group a placebo. Then the two groups of people were shown different images representing different emotions. Some of the photos included extremely happy images like children playing with kittens while other photos showed dismal images like starving people in Africa. What they found was that the group that took the acetaminophen experienced on average a ten percent decrease in emotional pain and a twenty percent decrease in happiness compared to the control group given a placebo. What this shows is there is a blunting of emotions both positive and negative in the acetaminophen group.  

This is not the first study of its kind. In 2010 two scientists named Naomi Eisenberger and Nathan DeWall noticed during a research study that acetaminophen did not only effect people neurologically with pain receptors, but it seemed to also effect them emotionally. They realized that the specific part of the brain affected was the insula or insular cortex. This important region of the brain is responsible for processing our positive and negative emotions as well as regulating the bodies’ ability to keep the organs operating at a stable and relatively constant manner. A third responsibility of the insula is the pain response. When we hurt our physical bodies; for example if we step on something sharp the brain needs to know two things. That we are experiencing pain and where that pain is being felt so we can protect the body. This process is calculated in the insula, and the pain response and the emotional response are closely connected; all of which is taking place in the insula.  

When a drug like acetaminophen is approved it is run through a series of tests to see how it affects the physical body. These tests include liver and kidney studies among others to make sure the toxicity levels are within safe ranges, however this type of drug is not tested in regards to its effects on the brain and the emotions. Currently there are more studies taking place to determine not only the brain effects of these over the counter drugs, but also to see if it is possible that acetaminphen could be used as a psychological/behavioral drug.  

According to Merck, overdose of acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage and gastroenteritis. Up until now those people that have been taking these over the counter drugs for extended periods of time knew that the liver and other organs do not benefit. What we didn’t realize is that the brain is also affected. There have been people that have reported terrible withdrawals from the long-term use of these drugs only to be ignored by health professionals. With this new information emerging, we now have reason to believe that addiction to these pills may be prevalent due to the powerful effects on the brain. 

 

 (Christian Cristiano is an acupuncturist in LA, TV host of Wellness for Realists and writes on wellness regularly for CityWatch. Christian can be reached at 323.935.3420. twitter: @CristianoWFR)

-cw