FDA s Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory committee is meeting to discuss how to address the public health problem of liver injury related to the use of acetaminophen in both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (RX) products, noting that they are not seeking to remove it from the market, as it is safe when used as directed.
This is an unusual statement from the FDA, which rarely utters the word safe, as they did in this case, says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. They re bending over backwards to ensure that they don t create a needless panic, especially considering that acetaminophen is safe when the dosage schedule is adhered to. It is true, however, that a significant percentage of people who come into emergency rooms with acute liver problems have them as a result of mixing alcohol and high doses of acetaminophen. People just need to be careful about mixing medications that have acetaminophen in them.
For more information, see ACSH s publication on OTC pain relievers.