“A federal advisory panel voted narrowly on Tuesday to recommend a ban on Percocet and Vicodin, two of the most popular prescription painkillers in the world, because of their effects on the liver.”
Acetaminophen is the culprit. Smaller dosages recommended for Tylenol, etc., too. The New York Times has the details.
I don’t know what took them so long to admit that acetaminophen was a culprit. 27 years ago, when I was pregnant with #2 son, I was in a lot of pain with a nasty flu, and I asked a pharmacist if I should take Tylenol instead of aspirin, because aspirin had a bad rap then. The pharmacist told me NOT to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) because it could cause liver damage in the fetus. 27 years ago they knew it threatened livers, yet it has not only remained on the market, it’s been the pain med of choice with doctors and hospitals all over the place for decades. Of course, they do make their living by keeping us sick, don’t they? I like the way they do (or at least did) it in China for so long–you pay your doctor to keep you healthy. When you get sick, he doesn’t get paid.
If high doses of acetaminophen cause liver damage, it only makes sense to reduce the dosage. I would think doctors could easily prescribe the other drugs contained in Vicodin and Percocet separately from acetaminophen.