From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the most widely used painkiller by Americans, despite the drug being the leading cause of liver damage in the US. Roughly 56,000 people end up in the emergency room annually because of an acetaminophen overdose, and about 200 die each year. The current maximum daily dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen is 4 grams, or 8 pills of Extra Strength Tylenol (500 mg each). The expert panel advised lowering the maximum over-the-counter daily dose to an unspecified amount, and endorsed lowering the maximum single dose from 1000 mg to 650 mg. The 1000 mg dose should only be available by prescription, according to the panel. Another potential safety issue identified by the panel is combination products, which contain acetaminophen coupled with other drugs. Percocet and Vicodin, two of the most popular prescription-strength pain relievers, are combination products that could potentially be eliminated form the market by the FDA. Acetaminophen and the other ingredients could still be prescribed separately. The panel expressed concern about consumers' ignorance of the acetaminophen levels in combination products. Many accidental overdoses are caused by people taking a combination product and Tylenol together, unwittingly getting a double dose of acetaminophen. Popular cold and flu remedies often package acetaminophen together with cough suppressants and decongestants, unbeknownst to some consumers. The FDA is not obligated to follow these proposed guidelines, although it most often does act on the advice given by its expert panels.

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