Read the small type: Contains acetaminophen
The new caution about acetaminophen, the popular painkiller, isn't about it suddenly being more toxic. Rather, it highlights a fear that we may be taking too much of the stuff without even realizing it.
Acetaminophen isn't just in Tylenol. It's in Nyquil. It's in Midol. It's in Vicks cough syrup. It is in dozens of cough and cold products. We may not be taking more Tylenol than is recommended, but we can push into the territory of liver damage when we take several acetaminophen-containing products at once. ...
Avoiding an overdose may not be as simple as it seems. Labels are printed in tiny type. They don't say the product contains Tylenol (which is a name people remember easily) but acetaminophen (more of a mouthful that can be confused with other medications). Sometimes, people just aren't paying attention. They figure that if they're taking over-the-counter medications, they'll be safe.
One doctor I spoke to said he wants to make sure that labeling issues are a priority as the Food and Drug Administration moves forward in coming weeks and months. The agency will be addressing several recommendations of an expert panel, including that the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen be lowered due to safety concerns.
"There are over 200 different products which contain acetaminophen and when I go to the drugstore and I want to pick up a cold medicine, the writing is too small," said Dr. Gilbert Fanciullo, director of pain management at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire.
One of his patients brings a magnifying glass with her when she chooses her medications, just so she can be sure of what she is getting.
"I can read what’s on my Corn Flakes box," Fanciullo said, "but not my Excedrin box."
Comments
Your article was such a relief to see. This has been coming since tylenol was allowed on the market. Simple solution-remove it from all other meds and if the doc recommends you take it, take it separately and write down how often daily you take it.
I say this in all truth and honesty; my husband was the victim of some very negligent doctors who continued to give him whatever he asked for, up to 800-1000 pills a week. The painkillers did not kill him; his autopsy said the acetaminophen killed his liver which, in turn stopped his heart and he could not be revived. He was found outside after taking out the garbage by our 17 year old son. Was it a disaster? In every way you can imagine. He owed hundreds of thousands of dollars from buying drugs under the table and spent all our money. We were lucky to have gotten out of it because he did not do it on purpose; it was an accident. He only took 2 darvocets the day he died. It only took 2 because it had built up in his liver over time. People need to measure, research and read about every rx they are given. If there is a negative about it, ask for something else. It is too bad that all the stories and movies about these problems end with the patient recovering. They all do NOT recover and leave their families well off. My husband did not want to die, he was just looking for something to end the pain of his spine separating from his ribcage. People, please understand, all these things can happen to anyone; he was educated, MBA, and comptroller of a billion dollar company. He quit before he died so we got screwed there, too. Anyway, just know what you put into your body and how much, else you might wind up where he is, in the cemetery, with a heartbroken family and children with many problems to work throught before they ever come to grips with it. Abofe all, BE CAREFUL.
My request again--take tylenol out of all drugs and if it is used, it must be used alone.
Don't let negligence kill you..
Posted by: Katieangel | July 13, 2009 11:54 PM