Limitations planned for prescriptions which includes acetaminophen

[serniaL]

In a ruling announced on Thurs, the Food and Drug Administration has announced new restrictions to painkillers. The newest restrictions will have to do with how much acetaminophen could be blended into narcotic painkillers. Possible acetaminophen overdoses are the reason for this limit. The FDA is going to add additional restrictions to the drugs. Source of article -
FDA calls for limits on acetaminophen in narcotic drugs by Newsytype.com.


FDA orders limits on Vicodin ingredient



The ruling the FDA came out with limits the amount of acetaminophen. Each painkiller capsule has a limit. Right now there is a limit. It is 700 milligrams per pill though. The new limit allows no more than 325 milligrams per capsule or dose. There are a lot of things that acetaminophen treats. It includes headaches, sore throats and fevers. There are drugs like Vicodin, Percocet and hydrocodone that use acetaminophen. Usually narcotics are mixed in with these. Narcotic painkillers use acetaminophen as well while an overdose can occur when patients take more acetaminophen.



Standard labeling should not happen



The limitation on acetaminophen comes partially from the lack of standard labeling. You will find different abbreviations used for acetaminophen on pill bottles like APAP. It is hard to stay away from overdose. The labeling makes it hard to avoid. The amount of the painkiller will start. Afterwards, a boxed warning is likely to happen. A lot of the time acetaminophen is responsible for liver failure. In the USA, it is the leading cause. About 120 deaths a year from overdoses of the drug is estimates by the FDA.



Getting your over the counter acetaminophen products


There are limits the Food and Drug Administration is putting down on the amount of painkillers in prescriptions and also the Food and Drug Administration is making sure there are more warnings on boxes. Still, the amounts of drugs that have acetaminophen aren’t being limited. Acetaminophen will be in OTC medications in high quantities still like Tylenol. Up to 500 milligrams per capsule can be within the high-dose over the counter drugs. In 2009, an FDA panel voted to eliminate these narcotic / acetaminophen combinations entirely. The FDA, nevertheless, has decided to limit the amount of acetaminophen, instead of eliminating the drugs from the market.



Articles cited



Reuters

reuters.com/article/idUSN1328805720110113

 

[sixpack]

yep acetaminophen  has been causing a good bit of liver issues.  People take waaaaay toooo many.  My daughter has a script for loratab which has acetaminophen in it.  The bottle is labeled all over, the pharm was careful to advise on its use as were her prescribing docs.

Over the counter acetaminophen should be labled too.  They had to take sudafed off the shelves and put it behind the counter because of illegal use.  If they have to do the same with tylenol products to make sure people understand the dangers of overdosing or overuse, then so be it. 

[Islander]

I use acetaminophen for the odd headache or muscle pain as I can't take NSAIDs (Advil, Motrin, etc). BUT, I make sure that I don't exceed the recommened daily dosage and I never take it for long periods of time. I don't want any liver issues. Thanks for posting that.