A smart decision by the FDA

[Hondadude141]

FDA orders lowering pain reliever in Vicodin - Yahoo! News

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will cap the amount of acetaminophen in the drugs at 325 milligrams per capsule. Current products on the market contain doses of up to 700 milligrams.

Acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. and sends 56,000 people to the emergency room annually. About 200 of them die, and the FDA estimates 120 of those deaths are linked to prescription drugs with acetaminophen.

About time somebody thought "OH! acetaminophen can kill your liver, maybe we should lower the dose??"

Just to inform everyone that doesn't know about APAP, 4000mg a day is the max anyone should consume, and that can limit the amount of pain killers one can take to manage moderate to severe pain. Which is great, to keep people from abusing them, but for the people that actually need the pills for pain management, it definitely makes it harder to take them when you know your liver could quite possibly be affected.

I've been taking 2 - 5/500 Vicodins every six hours or so for the past 4 months for various reasons, and even I had marked liver enzyme issue on my blood tests from two weeks ago. I couldn't imagine the effects of it on a person who has say, COPD, Cancer, or any other disease that would require constant intake of these meds, especially if they were elderly and had been taking them for a few years.

 

[Cashizslick]

They are also lowering the flouride in our water.

 

[corvetteguy78]

what injuries do you have that your popping 8 Vicodin a day at 20 years old?

 

[K2e2vin]

Probably more biased at people who have to take multiple medications.

 

[95b16coupe]

what injuries do you have that your popping 8 Vicodin a day at 20 years old?

hondadude got hurt through his duties serving his country. uncle same decided to thank him by providing him with downright terrible medical coverage.

i'll let him go into details if he chooses too. but i'm going to try and stay off my soap box for the time being.

 

[reckedracing]

take 1 vic and drink 1 drink
you won;t remember you are in pain
YMMV

 

[TommyTheCat]

I tried that recked, two 1000's and 6 beers later and I didnt feel anything. I guess I don't have the gene.

 

[Hondadude141]

hondadude got hurt through his duties serving his country. uncle same decided to thank him by providing him with downright terrible medical coverage.

i'll let him go into details if he chooses too. but i'm going to try and stay off my soap box for the time being.

HAH! Thats putting it very politely, and terrible is an understatement. I messed up my ankle pretty freakin' bad, and that's what the Vic's are for. Look up stage 4 Talar Dome Lesion and that will explain that. On top of that I've had something going on with nausea/vomiting and abdominal pain for around 2 weeks now, and haven't gotten shit for anything help wise, so yeah. I'm perfectly happy being in the military, but for christ sake you'd think the care to keep us alive would be a tad bit better...

 

[xj0hnx]

I couldn't imagine the effects of it on a person who has say, COPD, Cancer, or any other disease that would require constant intake of these meds, especially if they were elderly and had been taking them for a few years.

Usually people that are in chronic pain management, or cancer are taking something like morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, (a real strong extended release) for the real pain and only use things like hydrocodone, or percocet, for break through pain.

Pretty interesting that they are going to be lowering the amount of APAP. My friend had his prescription cut down because of the new regulation of how much you can take, so now he might eventually be able to get what he really needs.

 

[Hondadude141]

Yeah, I just used my grandpa as an example. He has COPD, and lung cancer. He uses the fentanyl patch, morphine sulfate ( under the tongue) and takes 1 - 10/500 Percocet every 4 hours. He has marked increases in liver damage from the amount of APAP and its extended use.

 

[E_SolSi]

Usually people that are in chronic pain management, or cancer are taking something like morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, (a real strong extended release) for the real pain and only use things like hydrocodone, or percocet, for break through pain.

correct
all of the pain meds with apap in them are supposed to be for short term use
(supposed to be... im not even trying to claim that they actually are prescribed or used that way)
when prescribing pain meds for longer use they will usually (are supposed to) prescribe straight oxycodone or hydrocodone without the acetaminophen
they still eat your stomach up
but then they just slap something like prevacid, nexuim or some other PPI on the stack

 

[Briansol]

vicodin is worthless IMO. i took a ton of them when i had my teeth out, along with percosets. vicodin didn't do anything to dull the pain. perc's made me sleepy and put me out for 3-4 hours every time i took one. it was perfect when the instructions where take every 4 hours Pop a pill, pass out, wake up, piss, drink/eat something, take another, be sleeping again in a half hour

Anyway, on topic, aceteminophin sucks. I hate that most cold medicine is full of it too. I like those tylonl liquid cold stuff when i'm sick, but wish it ran nsaid style pain killer instead. It actually works for killing pain and it's actually good for your body too in small does but can lead to ulcers.

so, it's your choice really.


pain / liver failure / ulcers

lol