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FDA To Cap the Amount of Acetaminophen Used in Vicodin, Percocet and Other Prescription Painkiller Drugs

1/14/2011 06:06:00 AM  ,  

20 or 30 years ago the pain killer drugs did not contain as high of a dose of Acetaminophen as they do today.  Over the counter products like Tylenol will not be imageaffected for now the FDA said so the higher doses in over the counter drugs will remain as is.  Acetaminophen is a leading cause of liver failure in the US and I had a pharmacist tell me that years ago that Tylenol was not good for the liver.

Sales for the combo pain killers topped sales of over 6 billion last year.  Over a year back a panel at the FDA wanted to eliminate drugs like vicodin totally, which the FDA decided against. 

Acetaminophen-FDA

WASHINGTON – Federal health regulators are limiting a key ingredient found in Vicodin, Percocet and other prescription painkillers that have been linked to thousands of cases of liver damage each year.

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will cap the amount of acetaminophen in the drugs at 325 milligrams per capsule. Current products on the market contain doses of up to 700 milligrams.

Acetaminophen is a ubiquitous pain reliever found in Tylenol, Nyquil and thousands of other medicines used to treat headaches, fever and sore throats. The ingredient is also used at larger doses in prescription combination drugs that mix it with narcotic drugs like oxycodone.

FDA orders lowering pain reliever in Vicodin - Yahoo! News

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