Way too many people are taking way too much Tylenol -- and Johnson & Johnson's latest window-dressing maneuvers won't fix a thing.
J&J says the changes it will make -- this fall, mind you, not today -- will help stop the overuse that's turned the drug's main ingredient, acetaminophen, into the leading cause of liver failure in the United States.
But they're not changing the drug.
They're not even changing the dose.
They're simply changing the maximum number of pills a patient should take each day from eight to six.
Big stinking deal -- and when you consider the musty odor that's led to a recall of some Tylenol products, I do mean "stinking." Anyone who's been paying attention can tell you that the real problem isn't the instructions on the label, or even that awful smell.
It's the drug itself -- along with the fact that drug makers have put it into just about everything from painkillers like J&J's Tylenol to cold meds like Procter & Gamble's Nyquil... not to mention prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet.
Many people overdose on acetaminophen simply because they have no idea how much they've taken.
Then, they find out the hard way what happens when you take too much -- and liver failure is just the beginning. One study earlier this year found people who pop just four Tylenols for at least four years may have an increased risk of blood cancers.
A recent study found that kids given acetaminophen regularly -- say, to reduce an ordinary and often harmless low-grade fever -- may have a higher risk of asthma.
And let's not forget the infamous recalls of both regular and children's Tylenol lines due to quality control issues ranging from that musty odor I mentioned earlier to bacterial contamination and "tiny particles" -- including bits of metal -- in the medicine.
Throw in all the other problems linked to acetaminophen -- nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and allergic reactions, just to name a few -- and it's bad news all around, no matter how many pills you take.
On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls
P.S. - FROM CATRINA,
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ME ON TYLENOL... A DOCTOR HAD ME ON EXTRA STRENGTH TYLENOL EVERY DAY FOR SIX MONTHS AND I GOT VIOLENTLY ILL (I KNEW I WAS DYING). I WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND SHORTLY AFTER THE TIME I GOT THERE I WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AND I WENT INTO A HEPATIC COME FOR 7.5 DAYS FROM LIVER AND KIDNEY FAILURE DUE TO THE TYLENOL. I HAD AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE FROM WHAT I FEEL BEING PRONOUNCED DEAD FROM THE TYLENOL AND THE TYLENOL ALMOST KILLED ME AND I WILL NEVER TAKE IT AGAIN! IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS IF TAKEN ON A DAILY BASIS IN MY OPINION AND MY OWN LEARNED EXPERIENCES. BE CAREFUL WHEN TAKING ANY AMOUNT OF TYLENOL!! IT IS ON THE LABEL THAT IT CAN AND MAY CAUSE LIVER PROBLEMS (AND EVEN DEATH, I FEEL).
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