What is Digg?153 Comments
- rocketman42, on 06/30/2009, -2/+65"The panel also voted 26-11 to make the 1,000-milligram dose of acetaminophen available only by prescription."
That's good, because no one would ever think to just take two 500-milligram doses of the over-the-counter medication... - inactive, on 07/01/2009, -7/+42If only there were a drug that eased your pain without killing your liver. Perhaps in plant form.
- inactive, on 07/01/2009, -2/+29I always laugh when doctors prescribe 800mg ibuprofen too, like they are handing out some super secret medicine.
- fragMasterFlash, on 07/01/2009, -0/+27Don't mix acetaminophen with alcohol. Your liver will get pickled even quicker.
- rda1441, on 07/01/2009, -5/+23Can we get serious here? This is an issue. One of these articles said that 200 people died last year from this in the US...200 out of 300,000,000. Sounds to me that this is helping to weed out morons.
Guess I'm going to have to stock up on medication that will actually work...why don't they just sell sugar pills. - inactive, on 07/01/2009, -0/+18The fact that 800mg ibuprofen is by prescription only?
- emt1451, on 07/01/2009, -1/+15I support removing acetaminophen from the combination prescription drugs, but they shouldn't be touching the OTC drugs. Read the boxes people, it's not difficult.
- deconsecrator, on 07/01/2009, -0/+12A whole article about the dangers of liver damage due to acetaminophen and not one reference to the seriously negative effect of drinking alcohol when taking it. Fail.
- Beylan, on 07/01/2009, -0/+12Diabetics might get their hands on them. They would have to be prescription only.
- blowhole, on 07/01/2009, -0/+12>but maybe I'll do it anyways.
Dugg for suspense - Sunscreen, on 07/01/2009, -2/+13I bet House has some hardcore liver-***** disease from all that Vicodin.
- Wreckage, on 07/01/2009, -1/+12That's why I like Tylenol 3
- fragMasterFlash, on 07/01/2009, -1/+11You must be from California ;-)
- masterstghm, on 07/01/2009, -3/+13What about ibuprofen? I don't use acetaminophen because it seems more damaging.
- mrsteveman1, on 07/01/2009, -0/+10They shouldn't be selling 500s either. If you want to take too much acetaminophen you should have to swallow 5-8 pills to do it.
- Bloodwine, on 07/01/2009, -3/+12I wonder how many of those 200 deaths per year are jackasses taking more than the maximum dosages per time or even per day.
"I know it says one teaspoon, but ***** it, I'll use a tablespoon damnit! TWO TABLESPOONS EVEN! I want to get back to normal ASAP!"
Sorry, if you ignore the labels then you are at fault for what happens.
I'm sure there is a small percentage of people who have bad reactions to acetaminophen, but ***** happens. - emt1451, on 07/01/2009, -2/+11Ibuprofen is generally considered to be safer. Although, long-term NSAID usage is increasingly being blamed for cardiac and GI issues.
Ibuprofen is an NSAID - inactive, on 07/01/2009, -2/+11It's called white willow bark.
- lepetitmousse, on 07/01/2009, -1/+9***** acetaminophen, it ruins my ability to chug nyquil with needing a liver transplant afterwards.
- Fallout911, on 07/01/2009, -2/+10We should ban water, more than 200 people drown in it every year!
- Nickolassc, on 07/01/2009, -1/+9Willow Bark!
- EddiePotato, on 07/01/2009, -0/+7Thanks for that image.
- twiztidsinz, on 07/01/2009, -0/+7If by 'upset' you mean can cause bleeding which may lead to ulcers, then yes... it just upsets your stomach.
Nothing against ibuprofen, it's what I take for headaches... just don't mislead people. - Animal, on 07/01/2009, -0/+7They do sell a sugar pills, just go to the homeopathic section.
- realeskimopimp, on 07/01/2009, -1/+8As opposed to the nanny staters who banned marijuana?
- centran, on 07/01/2009, -1/+8some people have sensitive stomachs or stomach ulcers. ibuprofen will make it worst.
- czarofsd, on 07/01/2009, -1/+8Why do stupid people have to make life such a hassle for the rest of us?
- gutistg, on 07/01/2009, -0/+6How much do they pay you?
- maz2331, on 07/01/2009, -0/+6Opium?
- zydeco, on 07/01/2009, -0/+5You mean like Nyquil does?
- akatsuki, on 07/01/2009, -2/+7Well... to actually get to science - acetaminophen has a narrow therapeutic index: meaning the toxic dose is pretty close to the therapeutic dose. No way would it be approved as OTC nowadays. Whether you think people should just be more responsible and this is too much paternalism, that is the rationale.
- DrDigg, on 07/01/2009, -0/+5Patients with liver failure on the transplant waiting list can safely take up to 2gm of tylenol a day (that is 4 extra strength tylenol). The people who end up with liver failure from tylenol are either overdosing on it (unintentionally or not) have pre-existing liver disease that they may not know about, or consume a large amount of alcohol. The vast majority of the population will be fine with tylenol.
- docbob84, on 07/01/2009, -0/+5Sorry, 1 gram (2.5 x normal 325mg dose) of tylenol per day is not going to kill the average adult human with normal liver function. Even if you were taking extra strength version and getting 1.25 grams, it still wouldn't. The story you cited talks about children. Don't be sensationalist. Tylenol is just as dangerous as any other OTC drug out there: if you take it as it's meant to be taken, you'll be fine. If you ***** up and take 10x the normal dose, you might want to call an ER.
- anonymousmedic, on 07/01/2009, -2/+7The issue with Acetaminophen is that it's got such a low toxic dose. The actual causative toxin isn't the drug itsself, but a toxic metabolite that is normally bound to CY enzymes in the liver and picked up by the kidneys.The LD50 Dosing of Paracetamol is only 140mg/kg of body weight to produce hepatic damage in most cases. Taking a handfull of extra strength tylenol can be incredibly lethal to toddlers and smaller children, and a lot of the deaths each year come from these, and attempted suicides. In addition, people with impaired liver functions are at expecially high risks, expecially chronic alcohol abusers. Tylenol is safe at low doses, but not at the megadoses that are being sold in your local grocery isle. In addition, overdoses are very difficult to diagnose and treat effectively, and most places outside of large metropolitan hospitals don't carry Acetylcystine anymore because it's primary usage has been pushed out by newer medications (It's called mucomist for a reason). It's only effective in very large doses, and only within the initial two hour window after the ingestion.
Fulminant Hepatic Failure is a miserable, painful way to die. - lordmike, on 07/01/2009, -0/+5Ibuprofen is NOT safer... it is VERY hard on the kidneys, bad for blood pressure, and very, very hard on the digestive system... It can also cause deafness in even therapeutic doses... it is a much more toxic drug overall...
- cr12345, on 07/01/2009, -0/+4Personally, I'm glad they are going with only one strength of the liquid version for kids. The infant drops are 3x more concentrated than the children's liquid form, leading to confusion and overdoses, especially when adults who weren't used to dosing meds (grandparents/daycare workers) were concerned.
Going to the less concentrated Children's version will make things much simpler. - anonymousmedic, on 07/01/2009, -0/+4A lot of the overdoses are kids, dude.
- Barackalypse, on 07/01/2009, -3/+7Wouldn't a better course of action to be to switch to a different pain reliever like ibuprofen?
- docbob84, on 07/01/2009, -0/+4A large number of those 200 are suicides. There is a surprising number of people who try to commit suicide via Tylenol overdose. Strangely it seems to be most popular among girls between 11 and 14ish in my experience. Why, I have no idea. Liver failure would be one of the more painful and prolonged ways to kill yourself but to each his own. Anyway, thankfully it doesn't very often succeed, mostly because of that time factor; they usually change their minds or someone discovers them before they've shot their liver and with a stomach pump and some acetylcysteine they usually survive. But I'm sure there are some who manage to kill themselves.
- CoolSilver, on 07/01/2009, -0/+4He has mentioned to a CIPA patient he has to check his eyes every morning for Jaundice to see if his liver is shutting down.
- Pyros7, on 07/01/2009, -1/+5I remember back in high school we weren't "technically" allowed to even take aspirin without permission and it had to be dispensed by the nurse. This is like that, just for the entire country and it includes adults who are supposed to be able to think and read directions for themselves.
Further proof that Americans are too stupid not to kill themselves without a nanny to intervene. - terafunker, on 07/01/2009, -0/+4How's about just buying a generic? Or, since Excedrin is only a combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine, you could buy each in bulk and make your own dose.
- Animan351, on 07/01/2009, -1/+5I love my exedrin, I get headaches a lot because of a car crash years back. if they drop the dose then I'll double the quantity and steal a bottle because I'm sure the price won't drop even though there's less "medicine" in it.
ps
yeah yeah, 4 dollar exedrin isn't worth going to jail, i know thats what your going to say, but maybe I'll do it anyways. - mrsteveman1, on 07/01/2009, -0/+3A good number of people die every year just from drinking it, and that's uncontaminated water. The stuff you find on the street has been cut with all sorts of crap :)
- docbob84, on 07/01/2009, -0/+3Just because "they" say 4g is the "maximum daily dose" doesn't mean you'll keel over instantly if you take 4.00001g in 24 hours. What emt1415 is probably talking about is the LD50 of the drug, the dose that will kill 50% of people. The 4g is an arbitrary number that a panel somewhere decided would be safe for almost 100% of people, though today it sounds like they voted to arbitrarily lower the number.
- mrsteveman1, on 07/01/2009, -0/+3Except the dirty little secret of the pharmaceutical world is that the acetaminophen is in those prescription pain killers as some kind of deterrent to abuse. The drug schedules actually put hydrocodone in a less restrictive class if it is added to a pill with loads of tylenol in it.
- holyreality, on 07/01/2009, -1/+4acetaminophen is more dangerous than LSD.
- Nishnabotna, on 07/01/2009, -0/+3How about you get off my back?
- inactive, on 07/01/2009, -0/+3uh if you have liver disease you should know what you should or shouldn't be taking.
- kazmierczaksm, on 07/01/2009, -0/+3They hand it out like candy in the Military. 800mg Ibuprofen only, god forbid you give a Marine some vicodin for his two broken femurs.
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