Dr. House isn't going to like this....

The FDA wants to ban Vicodin.

Quote :

FDA Panel Urges Ban on Vicodin, Percocet

Also recommends dosing limits for OTC painkillers that contain acetaminophen, like Tylenol or Excedrin, because of link to liver damage.
By Steve Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- The popular prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, which combine acetaminophen with an opiate narcotic, should be banned, and the maximum dose of over-the-counter painkillers with acetaminophen, like Tylenol or Excedrin, should be lowered, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel urged Tuesday.



The panel's recommendations followed the release of an FDA report last month that found severe liver damage, and even death, can result from a lack of consumer awareness that acetaminophen -- which is easier on the stomach than such painkillers as aspirin and ibuprofen -- can cause such injury.

The dangers from use or abuse of Vicodin and Percocet may be even more concerning, one key panelist said.

The writers of House M.D. would love it, though.

Bah. I still say people are trying to outlaw death. I do understand if it's a major concern--like you have one perscription of the drug in question and there's a HIGH chance for major damage--but often these things seem... blown out of proportion.

Also, Percocet is some great stuff. When my back went out many years ago, they gave me some Percocet for the pain.

Snake Bandage wrote:

The writers of House M.D. would love it, though.

You might be right.

Noooo! My precious Vicodin!

Ah, that's rubbish. I'd be really pissed off if they did that here; neurofen plus is bloody splendid.

Percocet got me through a mayor surgery; it'd be a shame if they outright outlawed them.

And lowering the dose of Tylenol? Are they insane? That's what gets me through days of bad cramps.

God damn nanny government.

Fuck you Food and Drug Administration. Sometimes I just require some Oxycodone to make it through the day. THAT'S NO CONCERN OF YOURS.

Why are they acting like the acetaminophen-damages-the-liver thing is new? I thought that was common knowledge. Or are they just coming to the realization that some people are too lazy to read the labels on these things?

It's just yet another attempt to control every goddamn thing we put in our mouths.

Animir wrote:

Why are they acting like the acetaminophen-damages-the-liver thing is new? I thought that was common knowledge. Or are they just coming to the realization that some people are too lazy to read the labels on these things?

I'm guessing people are just lazy/stupid, and now we all have to be "protected" as a result. Yeah, excuse me, but I actually read the labels before I take stuff. I like to know what I'm taking.

It's bad enough that I have to get my formerly OTC allergy meds at the pharmacist counter and sign some Homeland Security sheet because some people decided it'd be fun to use the stuff in making meth.

DeeDee wrote:

Animir wrote:

Why are they acting like the acetaminophen-damages-the-liver thing is new? I thought that was common knowledge. Or are they just coming to the realization that some people are too lazy to read the labels on these things?

I'm guessing people are just lazy/stupid, and now we all have to be "protected" as a result. Yeah, excuse me, but I actually read the labels before I take stuff. I like to know what I'm taking.

It's bad enough that I have to get my formerly OTC allergy meds at the pharmacist counter and sign some Homeland Security sheet because some people decided it'd be fun to use the stuff in making meth.

I get awful migraines often enough that I keep several different painkillers on hand so I can change up which ones I take and prevent building up a tolerance to one specific drug. When my head hurts, it hurts, FDA! I need my painkillers to have some kick.

DeeDee wrote:

Animir wrote:

Why are they acting like the acetaminophen-damages-the-liver thing is new? I thought that was common knowledge. Or are they just coming to the realization that some people are too lazy to read the labels on these things?

I'm guessing people are just lazy/stupid, and now we all have to be "protected" as a result. Yeah, excuse me, but I actually read the labels before I take stuff. I like to know what I'm taking.

It's bad enough that I have to get my formerly OTC allergy meds at the pharmacist counter and sign some Homeland Security sheet because some people decided it'd be fun to use the stuff in making meth.

You should see how weirdly defensive people get when I ask them for their birthdays or driver's license when they try to buy cough medicine or keyboard cleaner because OMG YOU MIGHT HUFF IT OR DRINK IT ALL which I guess you won't do if you're over 18 or something?

THANKS NEVADA LAWS, YOU MAKE TOTAL SENSE.

Animir wrote:

Why are they acting like the acetaminophen-damages-the-liver thing is new? I thought that was common knowledge. Or are they just coming to the realization that some people are too lazy to read the labels on these things?

I've known about it since the 70's. I think that's when the first problems were announced with the drug.

Maximilia wrote:

Bah. I still say people are trying to outlaw death.

Don't worry. There are still millions of ways people can kill themselves.

Personally, when I took acetaminophen for the first time, it didn't relieve my pain but it did give me a pain in my abdomen about 45 minutes later. The thing is the labels clearly tell people to use it in moderation, but people just cant get off their lazy asses and read the damn labels don't read the labels.

quamp wrote:

The thing is the labels clearly tell people to use it in moderation,

In the UK, they'll only sell it to you in moderation. You can literally only buy paracetamol (the name by which tylenol is sold here) in packets too small to kill you. It's a complete bugger if you have the level of pain for which doctor's won't prescribe and you're buying painkillers over the counter.

Ceres wrote:

Percocet got me through a mayor surgery; it'd be a shame if they outright outlawed them.

And lowering the dose of Tylenol? Are they insane? That's what gets me through days of bad cramps.

They're only lowering what they write for the maximum dosage, so you can still take like, six of them if you feel like it.

I saw this one on NY Times online this morning, and it definitely irritated me a little. Vicodin has gotten me through two ankle surgeries so far, and I'd rather not go through another one with anything else. (Oh, the joys of orthopedic surgery-- where advances in modern medicine go hand-in-hand with power tools.)

See, what gets me about the proposed ban on Vicodin and Percocet is the fact that an argument put forth in favor of the ban was that doctors prescribe combination drugs out of convenience, and convenience should take a backseat to safety. Yet, in the same discussion, they voted against a ban on combination OTC drugs containing acetaminophen because consumers prefer them that way. So, prescription combination drugs under physician supervision are bad, but OTC combination drugs with limited to no supervision are still okay, as long as we reduce dosages a little bit. Gotcha.

I'd personally be in favor of a widespread educational campaign, but I don't think they'd put "Read the labels, dumbasses!" on the airwaves.

The problem would be solved if people would just read labels, but if most people showed that much common sense, we wouldn't have some of the gems that we so thoroughly enjoy sporking on this site.

We'd still have Lemon Master and Tuxedo Mark.

Acetaminophen is the only thing that helps my migraines, dammit!!

lemmingwriter wrote:

See, what gets me about the proposed ban on Vicodin and Percocet is the fact that an argument put forth in favor of the ban was that doctors prescribe combination drugs out of convenience, and convenience should take a backseat to safety. Yet, in the same discussion, they voted against a ban on combination OTC drugs containing acetaminophen because consumers prefer them that way. So, prescription combination drugs under physician supervision are bad, but OTC combination drugs with limited to no supervision are still okay, as long as we reduce dosages a little bit. Gotcha.

That's the thing. It's the responsibility of the doctors to prescribe the medication responsibly and choose the medication that's best suited and least risky for the situation. If they think that doctors prescribe the stuff too much, then address that. Don't just ban the stuff.

And I already had to switch allergy medicines because I swear Tylenol Sinus changed its formula to something that doesn't work for me.

If they lower the dosage of acetaminophen, I guess people are just going to have to do what I did when I had a severe headache at work and all I could find was a bottle of baby Tylenol the last clerk left in a drawer.

I ate the whole bottle.

I read somewhere that part of it's due to the fact that people often aren't aware that certain OTC medications also contain Acetaminophen. A lot of cold and flu drugs, for instance, contain it in addition to medication to help fight the cold/flu symptoms. And people frequently DON'T read the instructions, so they take the cold/flu medicine and then more Acetaminophen on top of it, which can lead to accidental overdosing.

That said, I think their money would be better spent on a campaign encouraging people to read the instructions on OTC medications and take them exactly as prescribed. I've been taking Acetaminophen for my arthritis for going on 10 years, and as long as your doctor does regular blood tests to check for liver problems, there's no danger.

So the government is trying to save people from their own stupidity? That isn't going to end well.
One time, several years ago, I had a severe ear infection. I took six asprin at once. I was sleepy for two days. My parents left for vacation and I ended up staying with my sister. I was dizzy, in pain, and my perception of reality was shifting. Never again. And I'm no lightweight when it comes to medicine. I regularly take three Tylenol at a time when I have a headache or toothache.
When my parents returned from vacation, Mom told me she didn't realize I was in that much pain.

Lady Anne wrote:

If they lower the dosage of acetaminophen, I guess people are just going to have to do what I did when I had a severe headache at work and all I could find was a bottle of baby Tylenol the last clerk left in a drawer.

I ate the whole bottle.

I don't know whether to be alarmed or impressed.