Cold Remedies Kill Fort Bliss Soldier

[unhappycamper]

Cold Remedies Kill Fort Bliss Soldier
December 19, 2009
Knight Ridder/Tribune

A decorated Fort Bliss Soldier who survived two snipers' bullets apparently died of acetaminophen poisoning earlier this week in a Washington, D.C., hospital, his parents said Friday.

Sgt. Jason Stegall, 31, of Birmingham, Ala., was working on the post's training ranges when he came down with a persistent cold, said the Soldier's mother, Tina Stegall. In a telephone interview from the family home in Birmingham, she said her son was taking NyQuil and other cold remedies to treat a fever and other aches and pains.

Doctors told the family the acetaminophen in those medicines shut down her son's liver, she said.

The Soldier was hospitalized at Beaumont Army Medical Center. He died Monday at Georgetown University Hospital.

"It's tragic he went through all that (in Iraq) and then it comes to this," said James Stegall, the Soldier's father. A preliminary test indicated that his son might have had the swine-flu virus, but that had not been verified, the elder Stegall said.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/cold-remedies-kill-fort-bliss-soldier.html?wh=wh

[niyad]

1. how very, very sad.

[woodsprite]

2. I'm sorry for their loss, but the label says it in black and white --

don't take with anything else containing acetominophen. Heck, I'm even paranoid about how close together I take doses of different meds that contain any amount of acetominophen. Due to BP issues, I can't take some of the prescribed or ibuprofin-based arthritis meds.

I hope they don't use this case as an example to regulate Tylenol products like you now have to sign your life away to get the old OTC reformulated meds that don't work as well as they used to (like Nyquil).

So many people think if one dose helps, than 2 will be even better, or they don't want to miss taking their dose so they take them a couple of hours early. My coworker popped 2 Aleve every 6 hours over Thanksgiving weekend because of his back pain. The following Monday, he ended up in the hospital with dangerously low blood pressure and a bleeding stomach. It says on the box not to exceed 2 tabs in 8-12 hours, or 3 tabs in 24 hrs.

[prole_for_peace]

3. Years ago my dad took an Advil then a Tylenol

and got very sick. Not bad enough to go to the hospital but he was miserable. But my poor dad can't read so he didn't know. Too many people do not read or pay attention to medication instructions. They figure since they are on the shelf the meds are safe.