Healthcare professionals have been prescribing medication with too-high levels of acetaminophen to patients, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have been requested to stop giving patients medicine with more than 325 milligrams of the drug, which is found in Tylenol, the L.A. Times reported.
Such medicines as pills, capsules, tablets and syrups containing more than 325 milligrams of acetaminophen can cause liver damage, the FDA said on Tuesday.
The common problem is when people take multiple medications that contain acetaminophen; for example, cough syrup for a cold and then a Tylenol pill for a headache. Taking these simultaneously can increase the risk of an overdose, according to the FDA. A dangerous level of acetaminophen can result in liver failure.
"Acetaminophen is also an extremely popular over-the-counter drug," the L.A. Times said. "Some of the over-the-counter brands that include acetaminophen include Benadryl, Excedrin, Nyquil, Robitussin, Theraflu and Vicks, according to the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition."
The FDA recommendation said that pharmacists asked to fill prescriptions for medications with more than 325 milligrams of the drug should contact the healthcare professional who wrote the prescription. A lower dosage can often suffice.
Most acetaminophen is broken down into harmless substances and expelled through the urine, but a small percentage of the drug becomes a dangerous compound, according to Harvard Medical School's Family Health Guide.
The harmful compound is safe to ingest when combined with a certain antioxidant, but if a patient overdoses, there won't be enough of the antioxidant to soak up the excess.
FDA regulators asked drug manufacturers three years ago to reduce acetaminophen levels in certain drugs, setting a target date of Jan. 14, 2014, the L.A. Times reported.
Powerful medications like Percocet and Vicodin, which are usually prescribed after surgery, injuries or dental work, apparently contained levels of acetaminophen that were higher than recommended.
More than half of the drug manufacturers contacted by the FDA had listened to the request to lower acetaminophen levels as of Tuesday, according to the L.A. Times.
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