As a precaution to the risks of liver injury, the US Food and Drug Administration has asked that dentists and other health care providers limit the amount of drugs they are prescribing to patients that include acetaminophen.
“Health care professionals should discontinue prescribing and dispensing prescription combination drug products that contain more than 325mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol is the common brand name) per tablet, capsule, or other dosage unit”. The FDA plans to withdraw approval of “prescription combination drug products containing more than 325mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit that remain on the market”.
Cases of severe liver injury with acetaminophen have occurred in patients who:
- Took more than the prescribed dose of an acetaminophen-containing product in a 24-hour period,
- Took more than one acetaminophen-containing product at the same time; or
- Drank alcohol while taking acetaminophen products.
Acetaminophen overdose is actually the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers across the US—more than 100,000 instances per year—and, each year, is responsible for:
- More than 56,000 emergency room visits
- 2,600 hospitalizations
- An estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure
In fact, according to data from the Acute Liver Failure Study Group registry, acetaminophen poisoning is responsible for nearly HALF of ALL acute liver failure cases in the US.
Today, there are more than 600 medicines that contain acetaminophen: TYLENOL®, NyQuil®, Percocet®, and Vicodin®, to name just a few. Many people don’t realize that taking more than one medicine with acetaminophen at the same time could harm their liver. That’s why it is important to always read and follow the label on the product you are taking and take ONLY 1 medicine at a time that contains acetaminophen (
http://www.getreliefresponsibly.com/acetaminophen-dosage/adults?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GRR+-+Unbranded&utm_term=acetaminophen%2520instructions&utm_content=Acetaminophen+-+Dosing%7cmkwid%7csBquQU7Px_dc%7cpcrid%7c27714131402%7c338ilu23432).
Below is a table that shows usually correct dosing for acetaminophen:
If you are unsure if a medication you are taking has acetaminophen in it, check out this website:
http://www.getreliefresponsibly.com/acetaminophen-medicine-checker
Photo by Eric C Bryan 
