Pain Medications
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Wed, 07/01/2009 - 18:30
gwennie17
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Joined: 12/30/2008
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acetaminophen

Interesting news about the use and dosage of acetaminophen and recommendation to ban two of our favorites: Vicodin and Percocet.

Taken from Orthosupersite.com --

In a two-day joint meeting, members of the FDA advisory committees for drug safety and risk management, anesthetic and life support drugs and nonprescription drugs convened to examine liver injury associated with the use of acetaminophen in OTC and prescription drugs and to formulate methods to prevent acetaminophen overdose.

According to the New York Times, the panel recommended banning Percocet (Endo Pharmaceuticals) and Vicodin (Abbott Laboratories) in a 20-17 vote.

In a 24-13 vote, they also suggested lowering the maximum allowed dosage of acetaminophen in OTC medications from 500 mg to 325 mg.

The group also called for decreasing the maximum daily dosage to less than 4,000 mg. However, the panel voted against recommendations to limit the number of pills contained in each bottle and banning combination medications that include acetaminophen.

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spondylolisthesis at L4-5; stenosis at L3-4 and L4-5
radiculopathy for about 3 years
PLIF (L4-L5)in Jan '08 (PEEK cage, rods & Screws, BMP); continued radiculopathy....
Lami-foraminotomy L5-S1 Jan '09; continued radiculopathy;
Bulging discs L3-4 & L5-S1; crazy screwed-up S1 nerve

***** I have no medical training and am in no way connected with the medical profession, other than doing my part to keep them at full employment. My posts are based on personal experience and knowledge gained through the adventures of living. Take them for what they are worth....

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Thu, 07/02/2009 - 01:45
#1
JWM
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Joined: 06/26/2008
Posts: 299
Points: 626
finally

For me, when I saw the first article on this topic I was blown away and happy; I've always referred to our most well known acetaminophen slinger as 'big Tylenol' (obviously a play on big tobacco), because I think it's completely unnecessary in at least 1/2 of the medicines it currently exists in, and can be very damaging to the liver even with low doses with long-term daily use. I also have always felt that they were so successful in spreading that drug into SO many different over the counter medicines, that there was just no way we would ever, ever, be able to get the APAP out of our Nyquil/tylenol PM/etc.

Personally, I switched off of Norco some time ago because of the APAP and it's been a great thing according to my liver panel, and I feel better to, in a small way at least.

I hope a few thousand lives are saved each year as a result of the changes; time will tell. Now if we can just get the FDA to take the chemicals and the tobacco out of cigarettes.. Wink then we'll REALLY save millions of lives. Ah well, one step at a time.

JWM

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L5-S1 7mm anterior 5mm central. Central stenosis and foraminal stenosis. Severe sciatica w/terrible mobility. ESIx2,etc.
Meds: ALL generic, feel free to ask.
Plan: upcoming surgery(2010).

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