October 1st, 2009
Acetaminophen, an ingredient in many common prescription and non-prescription drugs, has been recently linked to liver failure and death. It is found in Extra Strength Tylenol, NyQuil Cold & Flu Relief Liquid, Excedrin, and Canadian prescription drugs Percocet and Vicodin.
A Food and Drug Administration joint advisory committee has recommended that several changes be made regarding acetaminophen. These include lowering the maximum daily dosage, strengthening labeling, and removing the ingredient all together from some prescription drugs.
Judith Kramer, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical center and committee member, reveals that the number of acute liver failure and deaths that are linked to acetaminophen has been growing higher.
Each year, acetaminophen poisoning has caused hundreds of people to die and tens of thousands of people to visit the emergency room. FDA reports that of the several hundred cases of acute liver failure, about half were accidental.
Accidental overdosing is caused because the strength of acetaminophen in drugs has increased and the labeling is not clear. Most people have no idea that acetaminophen is in their online Canadian drugs and that it has a deadly effect. Nobody should exceed 4,000 mg a day of acetaminophen or it becomes a toxic dosage.
“Acetaminophen is the number one reason people need liver transplants for acute liver failure” says Ronald Busuttil, chairman of surgery and chief of liver transplantation at UCLA medical center.
Cold and flu sufferers should be wary of drugs that promises relief from muscle pain and fever reduction. You don’t have to stop taking the drugs, just use them properly.
Do not combine medication with acetaminophen and inform your doctor or pharmacist about all the medication you are taking. Follow directions exactly and do not take more than the maximum dose.
