NPR piece on acetaminophen

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Agreed. The problem is not with the drug. The problem is (was?) with the labeling and awareness. I'm dismissing everyone that overdoses on purpose. But there are those that overdose accidentally due to some human error. The only point I was trying to raise is how easy it is for even a small mistake to be costly in this case.
 
You said "NPR"! How long have you been a BITOG contributor? Don't you know that these three letters are like RSP^10 (aka prohibited religion/sex/politics topics)?

I am disappointed that you could have made such a rookie mistake :-)
 
LOL! Serves me right.
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According to the CDC "Overdoses from acetaminophen send 55,000 to 80,000 people to the emergency room in the U.S. each year and kill at least 500".

And per the FDA: "Summarizing data from three different surveillance systems, there were an estimated 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and 458 deaths related to acetaminophen-associated overdoses per year during the 1990-1998 period."

About half of the reported deaths are deemed to be accidental, the rest suicide. It's a drug you need to be very careful with.

Tom NJ
 
The problem IS that particular drug.

Not many drugs is the theraputic dose so close to the damaging dose, and it's "hidden" in other products, often marketted for parents of children to use...it's a leading cause of liver damage if not necessariy the death toll.

You can say that the user should be aware, but there's nothing else OTC where the damaging dose is so close to the theraputic.

Throw in some statins, which doctors are handing out like MandMs, and intelligent people could be skirting disaster.
 
I only take non aspirin when it is combined with prescription painkillers. Aspirin has worked fine, but mostly. I suffer. To relieve swelling and inflammation,maybe. But mostly, I don't use OTC stuff. To quench a fever, never. I believe that fever is the body's attempt to cook the virus. Sweating is good as long as you stay hydrated.
 
It's simple "all drugs are poison".
My father told me that a long, long time ago.
I'll use drugs when needed, my father's message was that you have respect them.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Nayov
Originally Posted By: gman2304
Just like NPR to spend our dollars on a show to sensationalize a topic.


Replace NPR with Fox. Better for you?

No. Fox is frowned upon here, too.
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My brother is a real right-winger. When he went from reading 'National Review' to watching Fox, it was like his IQ dropped 20 points. I'm not sure if its the content, or just TV turning his brain to mush.
 
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
When he went from reading 'National Review' to watching Fox, it was like his IQ dropped 20 points. I'm not sure if its the content, or just TV turning his brain to mush.

Yeah, just about anything on TV these days can make your IQ drop. Some channels even more than 20 points.
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Originally Posted By: dparm
The stat is 150 people in 10 years. That is such a small number. More people die falling out of bed every year.

The overdoses seem to be tied more to the Tylenol-3 varieties (which contain codeine, a mild version of morphine). Seriously, worthless study and results. Gotta love the fearmongering.


So agreed. Lots of mindless baloney out there. I bet you could get hit by lightning, too...
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
You said "NPR"! How long have you been a BITOG contributor? Don't you know that these three letters are like RSP^10 (aka prohibited religion/sex/politics topics)?

I am disappointed that you could have made such a rookie mistake :-)


Haha! I might be banned too..
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NPR is preset #1 on all our cars.
 
Anyone who gets news from one source has a dropping IQ. I tend to choose Fox, NPR and the BBC to get a well rounded view.

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
When he went from reading 'National Review' to watching Fox, it was like his IQ dropped 20 points. I'm not sure if its the content, or just TV turning his brain to mush.

Yeah, just about anything on TV these days can make your IQ drop. Some channels even more than 20 points.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Agreed. The problem is not with the drug. The problem is (was?) with the labeling and awareness. I'm dismissing everyone that overdoses on purpose. But there are those that overdose accidentally due to some human error. The only point I was trying to raise is how easy it is for even a small mistake to be costly in this case.


I guess it was not explained that some people are more susceptible to acetaminophen toxicity?

Quote:
Some individuals may be especially prone to liver injury from acetaminophen.
The maximum amount of acetaminophen that can be safely ingested may not be the same for all people. Available data suggest that some individuals, especially those who use alcohol or have liver disease, may have a greater susceptibility to the effects of the toxic metabolite because they produce more of the metabolite or because they are unable to clear it from the body as easily. Individuals with increased susceptibility may experience toxic effects at lower acetaminophen doses than others—rare cases of acute liver injury have been linked to amounts lower than 2.5 grams per day.
More research is needed to understand whether ethnicity, genetics, nutrition, or other factors might play a role in making some individuals more prone to liver injury.


http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCom...e/UCM164897.pdf
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Anyone who gets news from one source has a dropping IQ. I tend to choose Fox, NPR and the BBC to get a well rounded view.

Let's see... -20 for FOX, -20 for NPR, +20 for BBC, so you're down about 20 total.
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^^^Anyone who watches too much TV period has the same problem! Content is severely lacking.

Friendly_Jacek posted the best thing yet. With all the variability in our genome there is no way that flat declarations of safety OR toxicity can be made. You must account for the wide genetic differences among folks when judging medicines, supplements, etc.
 
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