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FDA: Acetaminophen doses over 325 mg might lead to liver damage
CNN ^ | Jan 16, 2014 | Holly Yan

Posted on 01/17/2014 6:10:07 AM PST by Innovative

Acetaminophen is often used in pain medications with opioids such as oxycodone (Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and codeine (Tylenol with Codeine). These are called combination drugs, and the Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors to stop prescribing those that have more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dose.

Acetaminophen overdose is one of the most common poisonings worldwide," according to the National Institutes of Health.

Taking too much of this pain reliever can lead to liver failure or death.

n 2011, the FDA asked manufacturers to limit the amount of acetaminophen in prescription combination drugs to 325 mg per capsule or tablet by January 2014. While more than half of the manufacturers agreed, some combination drugs with higher amounts of acetaminophen remain on the market.

To find out if your medications contain acetaminophen, read the drug label or the list of ingredients in the patient information leaflet that came with your prescription. Look for the word "acetaminophen" or the letters "APAP," an abbreviation sometimes used for the drug. If you are still unsure, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: acetaminophen; aspirin; health; liverdamage; medicine; painkillers; tylenol
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They seem to be focusing on combination drugs, where people may not even be aware that they contain acetaminophen.

I think it has been known for a long time that acetaminophens can cause liver damage -- this is addressed now because the FDA rule of not having combination drugs with more than 325 mg of acetaminophen became effective Jan 2014.

1 posted on 01/17/2014 6:10:07 AM PST by Innovative
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To: Innovative

MIGHT

Running with scissors MIGHT also be dangerous.


2 posted on 01/17/2014 6:24:18 AM PST by TomGuy
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To: Innovative

I’m sure the pharmaceutical companies will use this and find a way to get cheap competition over the counter drugs off the market. Why not? If everyone’s insured, why shouldn’t people pay more for safety? (sarcasm)


3 posted on 01/17/2014 6:27:58 AM PST by grania
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To: Innovative

?

The recommended dosage on my bottle of Extra-Strength pills recommends 1 x 500mg.


4 posted on 01/17/2014 6:30:07 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (“The only thing that can save us is if Kerry wins the Nobel prize and leaves us alone.”-Moshe Yaal)
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To: Innovative

How can one get NyQuil without the Ace- Aceeetomino -
Without the Tylenol?


5 posted on 01/17/2014 6:38:21 AM PST by golux
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To: Dr. Sivana

Thus the Feds need to remove the most popular non-prescription pain killer from our shelves and regulate it.


6 posted on 01/17/2014 6:39:19 AM PST by jsanders2001
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To: Dr. Sivana

Thus the Feds need to remove the most popular non-prescription pain killer from our shelves and regulate it.


7 posted on 01/17/2014 6:39:42 AM PST by jsanders2001
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To: Dr. Sivana

Its not the dose its the 24 hour total that is the problem. A single dose of 650-1000 mg is fine. But one shouldn’t exceed 4000 mg daily in the short term and prob 3000 mg daily in the long term or liver damage may result.


8 posted on 01/17/2014 6:41:14 AM PST by Mom MD
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To: Innovative

Tylenol causes liver damage...
NSAIDs like advil/aleve raise blood pressures

I went back to taking good old fashioned miracle drug aspirin for my general aches and pains.

And yes, it bugs me that Tylenol is often included in many OTC drugs too, like...Nyquil.


9 posted on 01/17/2014 7:16:18 AM PST by EBH ( The Day of the Patriot has arrived.)
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To: Innovative
Saaaaayyyyy aren't these the same people who required that the opioids be poisoned with acetaminophen "to prevent abuse"?

Better to murder a druggie via liver failure than let him abuse Rx drugs, eh?

Ah well, the precedent was set with the requirement to poison, "denature", perfectly drinkable alcohol.

Better to have a million alkys (or naïve teenagers) go blind or die than miss a couple tax dollars, I suppose...

10 posted on 01/17/2014 7:35:11 AM PST by null and void (We need to shake this snowglobe up.)
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To: Mom MD

My mom has been popping Excedrins like candy for decades now. Don’t know how her liver is, but she is fine, so it is probably too. Still, I personally am very careful with the stuff.


11 posted on 01/17/2014 7:38:35 AM PST by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: PghBaldy
My mom has been popping Excedrins like candy for decades now.

Isn't Excedrin aspirin, not acetaminophen?

12 posted on 01/17/2014 7:53:42 AM PST by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Dr. Sivana

I just popped 2x 250mg pills before reading this. So total dose of 500mg.

But see the prev post about max daily dose. The situation here is apparantly that substantial doses are being “snuck” into peoples systems via combo drugs, quickly exceeding the daily limits without the person realizing it.


13 posted on 01/17/2014 8:00:15 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: Pearls Before Swine
250 mg aspirin, 250 mg acetaminophen, 65 mg caffeine per pill
14 posted on 01/17/2014 8:09:17 AM PST by Hoffer Rand (If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. *Asterisk.*)
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To: TomGuy

Not that kind of might. It would appear that this is the T-50, where for 50% of the people this dosage proves to be at least slightly toxic. So it’s “might” in that you MIGHT be part of the 50% that doesn’t get damaged until a higher dose (how much higher of course varies throughout the group, could be just 1 more mg for you), but you also MIGHT be part of the 50% damaged here, you MIGHT even be in a group being damaged by a lower dose.

We’ve known for a long time acetaminophen is rough on the liver, this is just ranging in on the danger line.


15 posted on 01/17/2014 8:19:09 AM PST by discostu (I don't meme well.)
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To: Innovative

**** where people may not even be aware that they contain acetaminophen. ****

TRUE! It is in too many over the counter drugs. We have to read labels closely, and sometimes special order the OCT version with asprin.


16 posted on 01/17/2014 8:42:17 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Sometimes you need 7+ more ammo. LOTS MORE.)
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To: jsanders2001

They did the same with OTC asthma inhalers. Now we have to go the doctor and get refills and the albuterol ones don’t seem to last as long as the old Primatenes did. Yes I know epinephrine is bad in high/prolonged doses but a better rescue inhaler there is not.


17 posted on 01/17/2014 8:55:34 AM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: Mom MD

Exactly right...My MIL has arthritis and broke a hip over ten years ago, she takes 650 mg doses 5 times a day, her doctors over the years have said exactly what you’ve posted.

The only thing is that my wife is careful not to buy any other meds she may need temporarily that contain Acetaminophen and there are many many that do.


18 posted on 01/17/2014 8:56:41 AM PST by jazusamo ([Obama] A Truly Great Phony -- Thomas Sowell http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3058949/posts)
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To: Innovative
From a ScienceDaily article on the same subject:

An overdose of acetaminophen can cause depletion of glutathione and land a person in the hospital. The current treatment for acetaminophen overdose relies on a compound that replenishes the glutathione in the liver. This treatment is effective, provided it is given in time.

Perhaps they should add glutathione to acetaminophen pills.

19 posted on 01/17/2014 9:31:36 AM PST by aimhigh
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To: Hoffer Rand
"250 mg aspirin, 250 mg acetaminophen, 65 mg caffeine per pill"

----------------------------->

I just took 1 1/2 Excedrin. Otherwise, I'll have a migraine all day.

I do this from time to time on account of the sinus migraines. I'll take 1 or 1 and 1/2 but don't go up to two because the caffeine runs blood pressure up.

People react differently to the same drug but there are general cautions to be mindful of.

20 posted on 01/17/2014 10:01:38 AM PST by hummingbird (Mark Levin and Article 5)
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