3 ms·

We're slowly realizing that there's not actually a difference between dangerous drugs and miraculous medicines. The dose (and the circumstances) make the poison

We're slowly realizing that there's not actually a difference between dangerous drugs and miraculous medicines. The dose (and the circumstances) make the poison, always.

loeg 9y ago
LD50 vs effective dose still matters. Some drugs are inherently more dangerous than others. (This is not a jab at illicit substances — tylenol is problematic.) But yes, we're very much realizing that DEA scheduling is not based in evidence (and actually prevents gathering of further evidence).
- jtmcmc 9y ago
  we've known this for a very long time that legality of drugs had very little to do with their actual danger to society or individuals and much more to do with fear mongering and racism
  - collyw 9y ago
    Fear mongering, as we have the same attitude in the UK, but not the race divide that the States has (we have a very similar divide along the lines of class however).
- Turing_Machine 9y ago
  Tylenol/acetaminophen/APAP/paracetamol immediately came to mind for me as well. It's flat-out amazing to me that shit is still allowed on the market. It hammers your liver really hard, especially in combination with alcohol. In fact, it's the foremost cause of acute liver failure in the entire western world. The kicker: it doesn't even work very well. Other pain relievers are much more effective, and have a much higher margin of safety.
  - 0xcde4c3db 9y ago
    The funny thing is that if you ask the average American whether Tylenol or aspirin is safer, they'd probably say Tylenol unless they specifically know about the liver issue. I think this ultimately comes from acetaminophen having remarkably few interactions, but has been spun by marketing into a general sense of "safety".
  - GoodOldNe 9y ago
    What pain relievers are much more effective than acetaminophen, and much higher in terms of safety? NSAIDs are a huge cause of bleeding and renal insufficiency. Tylenol is actually pretty good at treating pain in appropriate doses. Definitely a bummer when people overdose on it, fulminant liver failure is very unpleasant, but we have a great antidote for it.

We're slowly realizing that there's not actually a difference between dangerous drugs and miraculous medicines. The dose (and the circumstances) make the poison, always.

loeg 9y ago

LD50 vs effective dose still matters. Some drugs are inherently more dangerous than others. (This is not a jab at illicit substances — tylenol is problematic.) But yes, we're very much realizing that DEA scheduling is not based in evidence (and actually prevents gathering of further evidence).

jtmcmc 9y ago
we've known this for a very long time that legality of drugs had very little to do with their actual danger to society or individuals and much more to do with fear mongering and racism
- collyw 9y ago
  Fear mongering, as we have the same attitude in the UK, but not the race divide that the States has (we have a very similar divide along the lines of class however).
Turing_Machine 9y ago
Tylenol/acetaminophen/APAP/paracetamol immediately came to mind for me as well. It's flat-out amazing to me that shit is still allowed on the market. It hammers your liver really hard, especially in combination with alcohol. In fact, it's the foremost cause of acute liver failure in the entire western world. The kicker: it doesn't even work very well. Other pain relievers are much more effective, and have a much higher margin of safety.
- 0xcde4c3db 9y ago
  The funny thing is that if you ask the average American whether Tylenol or aspirin is safer, they'd probably say Tylenol unless they specifically know about the liver issue. I think this ultimately comes from acetaminophen having remarkably few interactions, but has been spun by marketing into a general sense of "safety".
- GoodOldNe 9y ago
  What pain relievers are much more effective than acetaminophen, and much higher in terms of safety? NSAIDs are a huge cause of bleeding and renal insufficiency. Tylenol is actually pretty good at treating pain in appropriate doses. Definitely a bummer when people overdose on it, fulminant liver failure is very unpleasant, but we have a great antidote for it.