Acetaminophen-Friend or Foe?

Acetaminophen is a medication that has been used for nearly 50 years as a pain reliever and fever reducer. It is also known by the name paracetamol in other countries.

Acetaminophen has been a safe alternative for pain relief in people who are allergic to aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (ibuprofen,celebrex,indocin,aleve, and many others) and for those who have or who are at risk for developing stomach ulcers.

It has been safe for adults, children and infants when given in recommended doses. In fact, it is advised to be used in infants and children with fever instead of salicylates (aspirin containing products) because of the potential of Reye's Syndrome.

Reye's syndrome is a potentially fatal disease that causes severe organ damage, especially to the the brain and liver. Research has established a link between Reye's Syndrome and the use of aspirin and other salicylate containing medications.

Well, because of the potential damage that acetaminophen can do to the liver if taken in more than recommended doses, or if taken by people with liver problems, the FDA's advisory committee has recommended lowering the recommended dose.

Because acetaminophen is in so many medication-both over the counter and prescription medication- some people sometimes take two or more products containing acetaminophen without realizing it. The danger extends to children also, who may be poisoned because they swallow the medication accidently. Sometimes caregivers mistakenly give children too much acetaminophen.

The advisory committee voted 20 to 17 to totally eliminate prescription medication that combine acetaminophen with other medication. This would include numerous
pain killers known by the following names: Vicodin, Percocet, Darvocet, Lortab, Tylenol #3, just to name a few.

Okay, so now what? It is true that acetaminophen can be dangerous when used in more than the recommended dosages, and if the FDA feels it is necessary to reduce the amount of the recommended adult dose to nearly 2/3 the current recommended amount..so be it.

However, totally removing certain prescription-strength pain medication that use acetaminophen in combination will create a situation in which extremely more addictive and stronger pain medication will be all that is available for persons where strong pain relief is needed.

If they think drug dependency is bad now with Percocet and Vicodin, just wait until the alternatives are Demerol, Dilaudid and Morphin (none of which have acetaminophen in them, but are much, much stronger with the potential of severe addiction as well as un-intentional respiratory depression or respiratory arrest in persons who are very sensitive to narotics)

Billions of doses of acetaminophen are used safely every year. Yes, there are acetaminophen related overdoses and deaths. Studies revealed that in the United States from 1990 to 1998(an eight year period), there were 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths on the average every year.

During another eight year span (1992-2000) in the US, there were 68.6 million emergency room visits attributable to alcohol - making that an average of 7.6 million alcohol related visits per year. A yearly average of 75,766 alcohol attributable deaths occur. The years of potential life lost is estimated at 30 years lost per alcohol related death, making that 2.3 million years of potential life lost each year.

It seems to me that the emphasis needs to be placed somewhere else.