FDA advisers have recommended lowering the maximum dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen -- the key ingredient in Tylenol, Excedrin and many other pain-killing medications.
The advisers' vote followed the release of a report last month, which found that severe liver damage and even death can result from a lack of consumer awareness.
Many people take more than the recommended dose of acetaminophen-based pain relievers in the mistaken belief that taking more will be more effective without posing health risks. Consumers may also not know that acetaminophen is present in many over-the-counter products, including remedies for colds, headaches and fevers, making it possible to exceed the recommended acetaminophen dose accidentally.
Comments:
The NUMBER ONE cause of acute liver failure in the United States is from taking acetaminophen (Tylenol type products). So it is high time the FDA took action.
Acetaminophen is found in more than 200 over-the-counter cold and flu remedies and other medications, making it the most widely used painkiller in the United States.
When most people have a cold, headache or other ache or pain, they don’t just take two Tylenol and leave it at that. Many people double or triple-up, taking multiple OTC medications, all of which may contain acetaminophen.
It’s actually very easy to overdose on acetaminophen, and thereby cause serious liver damage or liver failure -- and this is what this new FDA warning stems from.
In fact, you can actually have liver damage just from taking recommended doses of Tylenol (such as eight extra-strength Tylenol tablets daily for a couple of weeks), so hopefully these FDA changes will help to curb some of that.
Sources:
U.S. News & World Report June 30, 2009
Time July 3, 2009
http://www.mercola.com/
If you have any questins, please contact me.
No comments:
Post a Comment