Liver failure brought on by acetaminophen overdose has been responsible
for over 450 deaths in the United States and with each passing year
that number is expected to rise.
Doctors are debating over whether or not acetaminophen is related
to liver failure.
Some doctors believe the FDA needs to get more involved and enforce
stricter regulation policies for acetaminophen, as a way to cut
down on the number of deaths caused by overdose. In addition, doctors
explained that in the cases of unintentional overdoses, people aren't
usually aware of the dangerous effects of acetaminophen until after
they seek care for toxicity reactions and then are already in poor
shape. Unintentional overdoses make up nearly half of the cases
that develop liver failure, with 30 percent of these cases resulting
in death.
On the contrary, other doctors suggested that therapeutic doses
of the drug do not put patients' health in jeopardy and stated the
majority of the acetaminophen-related injuries and deaths might
be the result of intentional overdose.
Doctors in favor of acetaminophen also stated that the cases of
unintentional overdoses could in all actuality have been suicide
attempts.
In 2002, the FDA considered changing the packaging of acetaminophen
to include a warning regarding consumption of excess quantities
and the risk of liver damage however never followed through with
the recommendation.
Science
Blog July 21, 2004
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