Posted on 06/30/2009 10:22:46 PM PDT by KoRn
Government experts say prescription drugs like Vicodin and Percocet that combine a popular painkiller with stronger narcotics should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses.
A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday voted 20-17 that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be pulled off the market.
The FDA has assembled a group of experts to vote on ways to reduce liver damage associated with acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the U.S.
Despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., according to the FDA.
Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. Acetaminophen is also found in popular over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin.
“We’re here because there are inadvertent overdoses with this drug that are fatal and this is the one opportunity we have to do something that will have a big impact,” said Dr. Judith Kramer of Duke University Medical Center.
Many opposed to recommendation But many panelists opposed a sweeping withdraw of products that are so widely used to control severe, chronic pain.
“To make this shift without very clear understanding of the implications on the management of pain would be a huge mistake,” said Dr. Robert Kerns of Yale University.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
I used both Percocet and Vicodin (mostly Vicodin) for several days after my C-section. I would have been a VERY unhappy camper without those drugs. (Try having major surgery and then get up a couple of days later to take care of TWO new babies. Fun!) But my doc explained that I could fry my liver with them, so I kept a log and made sure I knew exactly how much I had taken. You know, maybe all these people who destroy their livers with Tylenol really deserve Darwin awards.
Hm. I’m tempted to see if I can get that Vicodin Rx refilled, just to keep around!
Gregory House will not take this laying down!
I give up, what is the problem?
if acetaminophen is removed, just take a tylenol.
No worries, they are recommending pressure point therapy as a replacement.
by the way, you can by it over the counter in Canada.
“There are some potential lawsuits here, restraint of trade or other things.”
Yeah, like when they banned my asthma inhalers last year and forced me to use an inferior product at triple the price.
Vicodin is the most abused prescription drug in the country, people aren’t going to be happy about this.
Bingo...we have a winner!!!
I don’t for one minute doubt that this is about eliminating drugs that no longer have patents and for which generics are available. They’ll bring in “new” drugs (change the formula a little and I think you get a new patent) and they’ll cost an arm and a leg, plus generics of these “new” drugs won’t be available for years.
This doesn’t make sense. One of the reasons they put acetaminophen in Vicodin and Percocet is so you can’t take too much of the narcotic; you are limited by the maximum safe dose of acetaminophen.
This is not good news. Those of us with chronic pain relief need those meds. In fact, I don’t think you can even get hydrocodone by itself in the US. You can get Oxicodone but it requires a special prescription that is only good for 30 days and cannot be called in to the pharmacy.
Nothing will kill you more effectively than Tylenol. If you want Tylenol, take Tylenol.
Good move by the FDA. Roxicodone and Dilaudid should be made available.
“One of the reasons they put acetaminophen in Vicodin and Percocet is so you can’t take too much of the narcotic; you are limited by the maximum safe dose of acetaminophen.”
Sure. You can take as much as you want. Meanwhile you are killing your liver with an additive to the drug you really wanted.
There is another reason they put acetaminophen in Vicoden and that is because of the synergistic qualities of the two meds taken together. In long term chronic pain, they usually use Norco since it has only 325 mg of acetaminophen and 10mg of hydrocodone. These changes won’t affect me, I’m way past hydrocodone working for me and Oxycodone is available without acetaminophen along with the fentanyl patch.
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