It's relatively easy to accidentally overdose on acetaminophen. The compound is found in headache and cold medicine. When people get sick, they often take a combination of over-the-counter drugs to relieve symptoms. But there may be an option.
Tylenol
Acetaminophen has become the go-to analgesic for many painful conditions. And when used appropriately, it can be effective for headaches and fever reduction. But it's not useful for inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and it can have a significant downside if used in excess.
It is no secret that the U.S. has an enormous narcotic addiction problem, and that much of this can be traced to overprescription beginning in the 1990s. In a recent NY Times op-ed, Dr. Richard Friedman blames most of this on physicians. But it's just not that simple.
We tend to think of over the counter (OTC) drugs for pain relief as interchangeable but this can be a dangerous misconception.
All too often, parents give only an approximate amount of medicine to their ill children, trying to follow label directions for teaspoons or other kitchen measurements. Doctors have been guilty of this and it has led to catastrophic overdoses. The AAP says: stop! Measure accurately.
Josh Bloom in Medical Progress Today, August 6, 2013
As if the FDA doesn't have enough to do.
Yes, they sure do, but this didn't stop them from issuing a warning last week that is so ridiculous that it gave me a headache.
Doesn t the FDA have better things to do? Today we saw the mother of all scares, courtesy of Sharon Hertz, deputy director of the FDA s Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Addiction.
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