CNN: Panel may recommend pulling some acetaminophen drugs

[brittone2]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/30/acetaminophen.fda.hearing/index.html

[Naranjadia]

Thanks. I had no idea...

[KHF]

"The advisory panel could vote to pull over-the-counter drugs that use acetaminophen in combination with other ingredients that treat flu and cold symptoms, allergies or sleeplessness.

These combination drugs include NyQuil, Pamprin and Allerest."

Dear Lord, if they pull Nyquil from the market, I might actually die of the common cold next time I have one. It's the only thing that provides me with any relief so I can sleep.

[Ceepa]

"The advisory panel could vote to pull over-the-counter drugs that use acetaminophen in combination with other ingredients that treat flu and cold symptoms, allergies or sleeplessness.

These combination drugs include NyQuil, Pamprin and Allerest."

Dear Lord, if they pull Nyquil from the market, I might actually die of the common cold next time I have one. It's the only thing that provides me with any relief so I can sleep.

Don't worry. It looks like this is an article about an advisory panel set up by the FDA. And today they will have a meeting to vote on what their recommendations should be. Those recommendations will then be submitted for further consideration. Let's wait and see what happens.

Sounds like a slow news day for CNN.

[Indianamom2]

You know, all of this could be avoided if people would just take the time to actually read each and every medication label. It's not that hard and acetaminaphen is still safe, it's just careless use of too many different products at once that causes a problem.

I hate more and more regulations on everything under the sun. If people start being too afraid of Tylenol, then they will turn to aspirin or ibuprofen, both of which have even more risks.

People just need to start using their heads a lot more.

Christina

[Sillygirl]

You know, all of this could be avoided if people would just take the time to actually read each and every medication label. It's not that hard and acetaminaphen is still safe, it's just careless use of too many different products at once that causes a problem.

I hate more and more regulations on everything under the sun. If people start being too afraid of Tylenol, then they will turn to aspirin or ibuprofen, both of which have even more risks.

People just need to start using their heads a lot more.

Christina

I get your frustration, but as a practicing physician, let me tell you this just isn't going to happen. The functional literacy rate for adults in this country isn't that great. Asking these people to check to see if their cold medicine contains acetaminophen, knowing that that is the same as Tylenol, and then recognize that all the Vicodin, Percoset, Ultracet, Fioricet, etc pills that also contain Tylenol? That's way beyond the capabilities of a good proportion of the population. Not to mention those that can't read the tiny type on the bottle.

Tylenol overdoses can be devastating, and the chronic poisonings that take place accidentally over weeks are the hardest to catch. So the liver is often already gone before the patient even shows up. While it may be easy for *you* to find the medication combos, probably the safer approach is to get it out of the combo meds. Then you can take new Nyquil and additional Tylenol if you need it.

[Indianamom2]

I actually agree that making "combo" drugs (OTC) less common is a better plan than say, adding a black box type labe to bottles of tylenol. That would pretty much eliminate much of the overdosing problem.

I also agree that plenty of people don't read at a great level, but that's a whole other bag of worms! In general, we have become a dumbed-down society and that causes a lot of problems.

Christina

[ThreeofUs]

Interesting, though, that OTC combination meds only account for <10% of the cases reported. It's mostly a prescribed-meds thing; probably Tylenol III and things like that.

[R2sweetboys]

Tylenol overdoses can be devastating, and the chronic poisonings that take place accidentally over weeks are the hardest to catch. So the liver is often already gone before the patient even shows up.

An elderly woman that I helped care for in her home passed away this past Monday as a result of an accidental Tylenol(acetaminophen) overdose. :crying:It's a long story, but she lived alone(daughter sort of cared for her remotely,brought groceries,did doc's appts. etc) and was in the moderate stages of Alzheimer's Disease. She likely couldn't remember how often she was taking her acetaminophen for arthritis. Once she was hospitalized because she just wasn't feeling well, was incoherent,etc., it was too late. She was in acute liver failure that was irreversible.

This incident and the recent FDA recs. have made me realize that it is so much more than "just Tylenol". The dangers are very real. I do understand that my client's overdose was due to impaired memory as opposed to a lack of awareness about it's presence in different OTC meds but the results are sadly the same. :(

[DrSally]

I didn't know Percoset contains tylenol? I think this is what I was given post partum, I can't remember. Of course, I followed the dosing directions, but still, I took it for 2-3 days round the clock.

Also, DH had some sleeping problems a while ago while travelling and took tylenol PM. I told him to just buy a bottle of sleeping pills with the active ingred. in the sleeping med, b/c he didn't need the tylenol at all.