acetaminophen

Acetaminophen Prescription Combination Drug Products with more than 325 mg: FDA Statement – Recommendation to Discontinue Prescribing and Dispensing

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ISSUE: FDA is recommending health care professionals discontinue prescribing and dispensing prescription combination drug products that contain more than 325 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen per tablet, capsule or other dosage unit. There are no available data to show that taking more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit provides additional benefit that outweighs the added risks for liver injury. Further, limiting the amount of acetaminophen per dosage unit will reduce the risk of severe liver injury from inadvertent acetaminophen overdose, which can lead to liver failure, liver transplant, and death.

via Safety Alerts for Human Medical Products > Acetaminophen Prescription Combination Drug Products with more than 325 mg: FDA Statement – Recommendation to Discontinue Prescribing and Dispensing.

You like your liver?  You can keep your liver.

Acetaminophen: Drug Safety Communication – Association with Risk of Serious Skin Reactions

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FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that acetaminophen has been associated with a risk of rare but serious skin reactions. Acetaminophen is a common active ingredient to treat pain and reduce fever; it is included in many prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) products. These skin reactions, known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), can be fatal.

via Safety Alerts for Human Medical Products > Acetaminophen: Drug Safety Communication – Association

Yikes!

 

with Risk of Serious Skin Reactions.

Acetaminophen OD More Deadly if Taken in Stages

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Those who ingested more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen in a single day spread out over more than one time point had a significantly higher mortality rate compared with those who overdosed at a single time point (37.3% versus 27.8%, P=0.025), according to Kenneth Simpson, MD, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and colleagues.

The cohort analysis included 663 patients admitted with acetaminophen-induced severe liver injury from November 1992 through October 2008. About one-quarter (24.3%) overdosed in a staggered fashion, defined as taking at least two excessive doses separated by more than eight hours and adding up to more than 4,000 milligrams in one day. The rest of the patients ingested that much at a single time point.

Most of the patients who had a staggered overdose (58.2%) said that pain relief was the reason they repeatedly took an excessive dose. Another 34.3% said it was a suicide attempt.

via Medical News: Acetaminophen OD More Deadly if Taken in Stages – in Pain Management, Pain Management from MedPage Today.

Learn more at Acetaminophen Toxicity.

Personally I rarely take the stuff.  It’s pure poison for the liver.