Are the pain relievers that you’ve been taking really as safe as they claim to be? At-home remedies such as Extra Strength Tylenol that contain acetaminophen are now being called into question by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As has been indicated by the FDA, the common ingredient in many pain medications, acetaminophen, can be dangerous when used in combination with drugs containing opioids. These so-called “combination drugs,” which include popular pain killers such as hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percocet), and codeine, are believed to cause liver damage when more than 325mg is taken per dose.
Nationwide, physicians have been asked by the FDA to stop issuing prescriptions that direct patients to take more than 325mg of acetaminophen per dose. To date, FDA officials have found no data strong enough to support the idea that taking more than the recommended amount of acetaminophen-containing drugs might result in enough benefits to the patient to warrant risking the potential for liver damage that can come from taking higher amounts of the pain reliever. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, acetaminophen overdose is one of the most common poisonings in the world, causing liver failure and death among some users who take too much of the drug.
Read more articles about the risks of acetaminophen drugs:
Death Toll from Acetaminophen Surpasses 1,500
New Label on Tylenol Caps Will Warn of the Drug’s Fatal Risks
FDA Links Acetaminophen to Rare, Fatal Skin Problems
Studies Find Increased Rates of Liver Damage from Prescription and OTC Drugs
This is not the first time that physicians and manufacturers have heard from the FDA concerning acetaminophen. In 2011, the agency asked manufacturers to limit amounts of the pain reliever that were being added into certain prescription combination medications. While the majority of manufacturers complied with the request to reduce amounts of acetaminophen to 325mg per capsule, plenty of combinations drugs containing the pain killer can still be found on the market. For these drugs, the FDA plans to soon begin withdrawing approval from the manufacturers.
To further stress the significance of the potential dangers associated with taking acetaminophen drugs, new versions of Extra Strength Tylenol will contain warning labels on the bottle caps. The FDA is warning consumers to use acetaminophen-containing drugs with caution, following guidelines that include:
- Patients should not take more than the prescribed dosage of any medication that contains acetaminophen.
- Patients should avoid taking more than one product at a time if the product contains acetaminophen.
- Patients should not drink alcohol while taking any medication with acetaminophen.
Additional risks that have been connected with acetaminophen include serious skin reactions that can result in death. The rare but serious skin reaction can cause severe rashes, blistering, reddening skin, epidermis, and detachment of the upper surface of the skin.
If you have or are currently taking a drug that contains acetaminophen, you should speak to your doctor about the dosage amount. Anyone who has experienced symptoms of liver damage or who has had a serious skin reaction should stop taking the medication and immediately seek medical attention.
At The Senators Firm, we are actively investigating cases of liver failure and skin reactions from acetaminophen drugs. If you think that you might have a case, please feel free to contact us at (949) 557-5800. An acetaminophen attorney from our office can meet with you free of charge to discuss your case and determine if you have cause for a legal claim. Our toll-free line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so don’t hesitate to contact us for the help that you both need and deserve.