7 ms·
My issue with fluff pieces like this is that there are plenty of established tools in our lives that would not be available if they started out today. Acetamino
by acconrad 13y ago
My issue with fluff pieces like this is that there are plenty of established tools in our lives that would not be available if they started out today. Acetaminophen (or Tylenol by it's brand name) is often touted as a drug that would never pass modern FDA regulations if it were introduced today due to it's issues with liver toxicity and link to Reye's Syndrome.
We make products and services with what we have available at the time, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are an indefinite solution, nor does it mean that we are going to hold our archaic solutions to the same standard we do with our new and improved solutions.
- hapless 13y agoTylenol should probably not be available over the counter. It has a narrow therapeutic index and safer, equally effective alternatives.
- Consultant32452 13y agoConversely: everything should be available over the counter. If someone wants to kill themselves by destroying their liver with acetaminophen, that's their business.
- hapless 13y agoIf everything were available over the counter, the presumption of safety would disappear, and we wouldn't have a problem. As it is, we have a two tier system. Consumers are trained that OTC drugs are so safe they barely have to glance at the instructions. APAP is vastly more dangerous than its peers on the OTC shelf, and consumers are placed at risk.
- Cass 13y agoWhat are those safer, equally effective alternatives? Ibuprofen causes gastric ulcers, Diclofenac does too, Aspirin is an anticoagulant, and Metamizole can cause agranulocytosis. Also, the maximum recommended daily dose for Acetaminophen is somewhere around 3500 mg, which is seven extra strength Tylenol - hardly what I'd call a narrow therapeutic index.