New Brunswick, NJ – Johnson & Johnson is reducing the maximum daily dose of its Extra Strength Tylenol pain reliever to lower risk of accidental overdose.
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The company’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division says the change affects Extra Strength Tylenol sold in the U.S.
Labels on the bottles will now list the maximum daily dose as six pills, or a total of 3,000 milligrams, down from eight pills a day or 4,000 milligrams.
Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol and numerous other prescription and nonprescription pain relievers, including Percocet, Vicodin, NyQuil and some Sudafed. People taking multiple products at once don’t always realize how much acetaminophen they are ingesting.
Excessive use of acetaminophen can cause liver damage and even fatal overdoses.
there’s a simple solution which would greatly reduce the problem, namely adding (loosely speaking) the “antidote” into the tablet. This mixture is available in the UK under the brand name “Paradote”.
I’ve tried to get US drug companies (as well as a very well known generic drug manufacturer headquartered in Israel) interested, but no one wants to give it a try.
if you _need_ to use acetaminophen (Tylenol) and are in the higher risk category (such as already having liver issues) you can ask your doctor and/or “compounding pharmacy” to make the combination for you. it will be more expensive than the counter shelf drug, but it will be a lot safer.
Most Tylenol Toxicities seen in an ER/ED are acute suicidal attempts by teenagers ages 15+. Most assume the drug is innert, and by ingesting entire bottle(s), these young children demonstrate their frustration, without injury. Tylenol is extremely toxic in acute overdoses, and if not treated within 4-6 hours post ingestion with N-Acetylcysteine (Acetadote/Mucamyst) IV and/or orally along with coal charcoal slurry orally, the patient severely damages their liver, with mortality following a few weeks later unless a liver transplant occurs. Although chronic use of Tylenol in amounts greater than 4 GM daily can lead to a decline in hepatic (liver) function, the real danger of Tylenol is acute ingestion as a suicidal gesture.
Paradote is acetaminophen (Tylenol) with methionine. Methionine has side effects. Read the following:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-42-METHIONINE.aspx?activeIngredientId=42&activeIngredientName=METHIONINE
The soultion is simple:
1) Keep out of reach of children.
2) Use only as directed.
3) Use common sense.
Simple.