FDA warns against high-dose prescription acetaminophen

[Jesus Malverde]

The Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors to stop prescribing combination medications that contain more than 325 milligrams of acetaminophen per pill, because of long-standing concerns about liver damage.

The move, announced Tuesday, is one of a series of actions the FDA is taking to limit high-dose use of the popular painkiller. FDA already has asked drug-makers to stop producing combination prescription medications with higher doses. More than half of manufacturers have complied, according to the FDA statement.

Overdoses from acetaminophen send 56,000 people to emergency rooms and kill about 500 each year, according to FDA. The drug is a leading cause of acute liver failure.

FDA has previously said that most cases of liver damage occur in patients who take more than the maximum recommended dose of 4,000 mg in 24 hours.

Some non-prescription painkillers, such as Extra Strength Tylenol, contain 500 mg of acetaminophen in each pill.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/15/fda-acetaminophen-warning/4489193/

The only safe drugs are those recommended by a doctor, they use "science" and peer reviewed studies.

Alternative medicines are the real danger, of not damaging enough livers....

[sharp_stick]

1. Absolutely

alternative medicine hasn't ever damaged a liver.

http://www.liverfoundation.org/chapters/pacificnw/doctorsnotes/camedicine/

What are some of the more commonly used dietary supplements associated with toxic reactions to the liver? Just to name a few, the following have been reported to cause liver toxicity: Green tea extracts, ma huang, pure usnic acid, germander, sho-saiko-to, centella asiatica, boh-gol-zhee, black cohosh, kava, atractylis gummifera, jin bu huan, chaparral leaf, comfrey, camphor.

When I was in undergrad I sectioned a liver that was removed for transplant due to acute liver failure brought on by a Black Cohosh preparation.

[Jesus Malverde]

4. All those substances that can damage a liver and yet medical doctors and industry are

the "leading cause of acute liver failure." in the nation. A condition that requires a hundred thousand dollar solution (transplant) or death....

For every "Black Cohosh" liver... you could have sectioned what... 1000-2000 acetaminophen blown livers?

Medical professionals and scientists are so brilliant. They combine a poison (acetaminophen) with a drug (hydrocodone) they know people will take in excess and abuse by itself or in combination with alcohol.

Green tea extract eh...I'll steer clear of that....woa!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Actually *both* do

And we also live in a culture where if one is good, two is better.

[quinnox]

3. Or just avoid acetaminophen completely

I don't trust it. Try reading the warning label sometime on it, its an eye opener. There are plenty of alternatives to it anyway.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Read the warnings for Advil, and the rest of the family (NSAIDS)

Believe it or not, acetaminophen, when properly used, is less risky than NSAIDs that used to require a script, with good reason.

And if you have diabetes you should not take NSAIDs, due to a slew of potentially deadly side effects, including severe liver damage.

[kcass1954]

6. wish i could. it's the only thing i can take.

I take it sparingly though, rarely more than 1 pill, and only if I really have to.

[MFM008]

11. i know

I take 2/ 500 mg tablets every morning or I cant get moving ( back- general pain). I dont drink and unless im sick or post surgical take no more than that... the others bother my stomach to bad.

[REP]

16. It's safer than NSAIDs, which are all nephrotoxic

Naproxyn, ibuprofen, all NSAIDs are very hard on the kidneys and should not be taken by healthy people for more than 10 consquective days; those with any known kidney problems should never take them (there is one NSAID, Clinorl, that can be taken by some kidney patients under their doctors' supervision, but not every kidney patient can tolerate it without some pretty awful side-effects).

Opioid+acetominophen analgesics are the safest choice for these patients because of the lower dosing needed.

Though there are times I'd kill for an Aleve ... but it's really not worth what it'd do to me (which could be anything from dangerously severe edema, to even higher proteinuria, to full-on end-stage renal failure).

[cthulu2016]

7. Thank god the witch doctor community is limiting acetaminophen!

Oh wait... it looks like the identification of the dangers and the limitations imposed to reduce the dangers are the work of scientists... based on crap like "science" and peer reviewed studies.

And the FDA is able to act to limit these dangers because, unlike "Alternative medicines," drugs are tightly regulated.

[Jesus Malverde]

8. "tightly regulated"....

http://www.amazon.com/Tylenol-Extra-Strength-100-Pieces/dp/B00HVBCKP4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1389814347&sr=8-7&keywords=tylenol+high+strength

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Well, Duh!

Doctors have been saying this for several years. My wife was on a pain med for her stenosis and the doctor changed it. Not because he was worried about the narcotic active ingredient but the acetominophin.

That happened 4 or 5 years ago. Seems the FDA is a bit behind the curve on this.

[Mariana]

18. I wouldn't be surprised to find out

that most people who die of an "overdose" of drugs like Vicodin or Lortab are actually killed by acetaminophen toxicity, rather than by the narcotics.

It's been known for a long time that acetaminophen is deadly if you take too much - and it's very easy to take too much. Thousands of people have died and many more have been permanently harmed by it.

[ryan_cats]

10. It's about time

Well, it's about time. The original recommended maximum does was 8gm a day, then they went to 4gm then they were supposed to lower it to 2gm. Nevertheless, all you have to do is take more than 1 325mg pill.

Ibuprofen is nowhere near as dangerous as acetaminophen. If you are taking acetaminophen daily, you should take silmarin, it's the active ingredient in Milk thistle and it protects your liver. Besides, ibuprofen is a great anti-inflammatory aid as well.

[Demo_Chris]

12. How much do you guys think is SAFE to take? nt

[liberal_at_heart]

13. How do you know those same people won't overdose on smaller dose pills? Either people are going to

follow the directions on the bottle or they're not. If they don't, they will be at risk of hurting themselves.

[hedgehog]

14. I suspect the problem isn't acetaminophen on its own so much -

(although people have over dosed on that) but acetaminophen in combination with narcotics - people taking extra Tylenol 3 to get a codeine buzz and ending up with a damaged liver.

Myself and my kids prefer plain ibuprofen or acetaminophen for optimum pain control rather than any narcotic after minor surgery such as getting wisdom teeth pulled. The codeine makes us sleepy and/or nauseous

[REP]

17. I suspect it's acetominophen + alcohol intake

I can only take acetominophen+ opioids because of kidney disease, but I very rarely drink alcohol and when I do, I drink very little. My yearly intake is perhaps 3-4 glasses of wine, if that much. Most people drink more and may not be aware of the acetominphen/alcohol effect on the liver.

[polichick]

15. But last week acetaminophen was wonderful...

oops.

Don't worry, people - big pharma is still your friend. You can sleep well knowing that - but if you need some help sleeping there are a bunch of fun pills to help you ('long as you don't mind the twenty or thirty side effects presented in those cute commercials).

[The Straight Story]

19. kick(nt)