Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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If Vicodin, Percocet banned, what next?

(HealthScout) UPDATED 2009-07-02
Experts say that if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chooses to ban Vicodin and Percocet as its advisory panel suggests, the move won't be too drastic because alternatives exist. Both of these medications contain an opioid (narcotic) painkiller and acetaminophen, the painkiller found in Tylenol. The FDA panel made this recommendation because of concerns about liver damage from users unknowlingly taking too-high doses of acetaminopen. But pain specialists say the problem isn't either of the medications--it's having them both in one pill. If patients were instead given two pills--one containing a narcotic such as hydrocodone and one containing acetaminophen--doctors would be able to control their patients' acetaminophen intake more carefully. And other patients may receive adequate pain relief from the narcotic painkiller alone and not need the acetaminophen at all.  Read full story >
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Related: Vicodin, acetaminophen, opioids
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