FDA Pushes to Lower Acetaminophen Use

The prescription drug acetaminophen has been used for years to reduce fevers and relieve ordinary aches and pains. However, the U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA) now warns against extensive use of the product as it can increase the risk of liver damage, according to a press release.

According to the National Institutes of Health, they state that "Acetaminophen overdose is one of the most common poisonings worldwide."

The FDA has told physicians to consider limiting combination prescriptions of the product to no more than 325 milligrams. This drug can be found with other name brand prodcuts, including Vicodin, Percocet and Tylenol with Codeine. The organization states that over-the-counter Tylenol does not typically fall under this warning but agencies should work more closely to address acetaminophen health concerns that are present in over the counter drugs.

"There are no available data to show that taking more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit provides additional benefit that outweighs the added risks for liver injury," the FDA notes, via CNN. "Many consumers are often unaware that many products contain acetaminophen, making it easy to accidentally take to much."

Overdose of the drug can cause liver failure and even death. Some of the reported cases have shown that those who took more than a prescription dose were also under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, with the maximum limit for adults being 4,000 mg of acetaminophen per day.

Though the FDA asked drug-manufacturing companies to the limit the amount of acetaminophen to 325 mg per capsule or tablet over the years, some companies did not comply with these requests, including Tylenol and Panadol. The health organization now hoeps to prohibit high levels of acetaminophen in prescription combination drugs.