Yes, because if you take a lot more than you should then it’s toxic. It’s extremely safe and well tolerated when used as directed, just don’t chug the damn things like M&Ms.
To elaborate on this, acetaminophen exhibits a threshold effect in terms of liver toxicity. If you consume below a certain amount, your liver is able to process it fine and suffers effectively no damage. If you consume excess amounts, the pathway is overwhelmed and serious liver damage results in short order. Do not joke around with the daily limits on the bottle.
By comparison, ibuprofen and related NSAIDs are hard on your kidneys and GI track at
any dose when taken long-term, just in a more gradual/progressive way.
Put another way, at low doses acetaminophen is safer and in overdose ibuprofen is safer. It's reductive and misleading to say "acetaminophen is very dangerous!" because it could lead somebody to take an alternative pain reliever that ultimately ends up more harmful to them, depending on their situation.
