Tylenol, Vicodin and Percocet safety

If you follow the news much, you will be noting that an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expressing concerns about the safety of two commonly prescribed narcotic "pain-killers" Vicodin and Percocet, and also about the safe dosing levels for Tylenol (generically known as acetaminophen).

Just to clarify, the issue is not so much about the maximum safe doses of acetaminophen so much the fact that it's in a number of prescription and over-the-counter medications and that it may be easy for people to accidentally take too much as they may not realize how much they are actually taking.

Acetaminophen is in "non-aspirin pain relievers" over the counter, and in Tylenol as regular,
Extra-Strength and Arthritis. It is also in a large number of generic and Tylenol brand cough and cold formulas, allergy medicines and sleep aids.

In addition to this, it is a component of Vicodin and Percocet which are prescription medicines for pain.

You can start to see where it might be easier than you suppose to get more acetaminophen into you than you thought. This Q&A rather sums it up:

People think that if it’s a safe drug and I have this pain, it works better if I take more,” said Cesar Alaniz, a clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy.