FDA recommends lowering dosages of acetominophen, “the leading cause of liver failure”

(Yahoo! News) ADELPHI, Md. – Government experts say prescription drugs like Vicodin and Percocet that combine a popular painkiller with stronger narcotics should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses.

A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday voted 20-17 that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be pulled off the market.

The FDA has assembled a group of experts to vote on ways to reduce liver damage associated with acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the U.S.

Despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., according to the FDA.

Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. Acetaminophen is also found in popular over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin.

Gosh, that doesn’t make any sense.  I looked all over the federal drug schedules and couldn’t find acetominophen.  It’s an over-the-counter drug, so any adult can just go in and buy as much as they want off of a store shelf (maybe even kids, too; I can’t recall any prohibition against it).  Yet it is estimated to cause 2,600 hospitalizations and 450 deaths per year.  It is also very bad for your liver:

But some people are more susceptible to acetaminophen toxicity and can experience liver damage even at the recommended dose. A study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed that about 20% of people with acetaminophen-related liver toxicity had taken less than the recommended daily amount. For other people, a dangerous dose is not much higher than the recommended dose—that is, the “window” between a therapeutic dose and a toxic dose is smaller for acetaminophen than it is for many other drugs.

Some experts also believe that taking acetaminophen for several days in a row may cause a dangerous build-up of the drug in the body. Acetaminophen is more likely to cause liver toxicity at near normal doses when used by people who drink alcohol. In fact, people who drink regularly may be more prone to liver damage even if they do not consume alcohol and acetaminophen at the same time. There appears to be added risk even if people take acetaminophen a few hours, or in some cases longer, before or after drinking.

Gee whiz, a drug that has medical value and an accepted safe use under medical supervision, yet is hepatoxic and sometimes fatal, why, you’d think that drug would be on the Controlled Substances list and require a doctor’s prescription, wouldn’t you?  Aha, but you’ve missed the parts that mention “potential for abuse” and “psychological dependence”.  Since acetominophen doesn’t get you high or addicted, the government doesn’t care so much about controlling your access to it, even if more people overdose on it than on alcohol in a given year.

But if it is a natural unprocessed herb gets you high, it doesn’t matter that it has never killed anyone, it’s safe to use without medical supervision, and it has numerous medical applications, it’s going up on Schedule I and if you’re caught with it, you’re going to jail.  And if that gives you a splitting headache, the jailers will be glad to get you a Tylenol.