BhamDave -

I know you have been around, and I have always respected your opinions - so please don't take this the wrong way, but thread titles such as the subject title of this one, don't help the cause here too much.... Especially, as someone mentioned, when the article is mainly referring to overdose by Tylenol (not opioids)-

As most people here know (I don't know if I agree that the APAP is compounded with the opioid to *purposely* harm someone that is taking too much - APAP does potentiate the pain relief of an opioid) BUT I will agree, that in an average Hydro/APAP combination - like say 7.5/500 - Even in an opioid naive inidividual - the APAP would very likely overdose/kill the individual before the hydrocodone would. (In someone trying to take a huge dose) - I mean say they took 10 of these pills (Lortab's) - That's 75mg's Hydrocodone and 5grams (!!) of APAP.....

The APAP would certainly be MUCH more toxic to the body, although the high amount of hydrocodone COULD cause someone to pass-out/suffocate/forget to breathe - especially if they already had respiratory issues like asthma, heavy smoking, they had been drinking or taking other sedatives, etc..... But, if the Hydro/APAP was the ONLY medication taken, and the indiviudal was for the most part healthy - the 5gram APAP doseage would do MUCH more bodily harm than the 75mg's Hydrocodone.... Now, I am not saying it is safe for anyone to take 75mg's Hydrocodone.... I am sure someone with a big tolerance could do that with no problems. But like I said - the manner in which the two drugs would harm you would be totally different.

The huge dose of APAP would poison your liver, it is very toxic. Opioids are relatively non-toxic. If the high dose of opioid harmed the individual AT ALL, it would be due to over-sedation/too much respiratory depression, it would not poison or otherwise be toxic to the individual..... To summarize? APAP is much more poisonous than ANY opioid.