Acetaminophen: the Killer Painkiller

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Acetaminophen: the Killer Painkiller

_http://www.anh-usa.org/acetaminophen-the-killer-painkiller/_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/acetaminophen-the-killer-painkiller/)

 

 

The active ingredient in the painkillers Tylenol, Anacin and Panadol was

the focus of a recent analysis of 19 studies of 425,000 children and adults

treated with acetaminophen in the past year. Children given acetaminophen

were 60 percent more likely to suffer from asthma, while adults who had

taken the drug were 75 percent more likely to experience asthma. According to a

University of British Columbia-Vancouver review published in the journal

Chest, _higher doses translated to a greater risk of asthma_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/z028328_acetaminophen_asthma.html) . [1].

 

 

The March 2010 issue of the American Journal of Medicine contained an

analysis of data from 26,000 men, participants in the Health Professionals

Follow-up Study. Researchers at Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s

Hospital, Vanderbilt University, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary,

Boston, determined that men younger than 60 who used acetaminophen were _61

percent more likely to experience hearing loss_

(http://www.emaxhealth.com/1275/3/35879/aspirin-ibuprofen-acetaminophen-cause-he\

aring-loss-men.html) .

Studies appearing in the journal Drug Safety (2008 Vol 31:pp127-141) _have

linked acetaminophen to adverse vision events_

(https://www.worstpills.org/login.cfm?redirected=1 & page=/member/newsletter.cfm & q\

String=n_id=587 & print=1) .

 

 

The U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group found that _acetaminophen

poisoning is the leading cause of liver failure in the nation_

(http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=7955370) , associated with nearly 50 percent of

all liver

failure . _The Life Extension Foundation has also sounded the alarm about

acetaminophen and liver damage_

(http://www.lef.org/LEFCMS/aspx/PrintVersionMagic.aspx?CmsID=113717) . [5].

 

 

With 70-75 million prescriptions written annually, acetaminophen is the

most commonly prescribed class of drugs in the United States. It is blamed

for _56,000 injuries, 25,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths_

(https://www.worstpills.org/login.cfm?redirected=1 & page=/member/newsletter.cfm & q\

String=n_id=

60) . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been aware of this

situation for decades. As early as _1977, the agency warned about acetaminophen

and liver damage_

(https://www.worstpills.org/login.cfm?redirected=1 & page=/member/newsletter.cfm & q\

String=n_id=648) .[7]. The FDA Advisory Review Panel

noted that exceeding the recommended dosage or (please note the or) taking

acetaminophen for more than 10 days puts the patient at risk of liver damage.

A suggestion that pharmacists distribute information explaining the risks

of this drug has fallen on deaf ears at the FDA.

 

 

A study published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research cautioned

that adverse reactions to acetaminophen not only affect patients’ quality of

life, they also impose _substantial economic burdens on society_

(http://search.vitasearch.com/search?q=nonsteroidal+antiinflammatory+drugs+cost+\

effectiv

eness+side+effects & restrict=Summaries & site=CP & client=CP & proxystylesheet=CP & o

utput=xml_no_dtd & filter=0 & getfields=*) .[8]. Given all that we know now,

how can the FDA remain silent about acetaminophen?