The study, which was testing a new product combining the narcotic painkiller hydrocodone with acetaminophen, was shut down early because of the frequent occurrence and size of blood level increases of an enzyme...
The study involved 145 healthy male and female volunteers, ranging in age from 18 to 45. The volunteers randomly received one of five treatments. Four of these treatments included four grams of acetaminophen daily and the fifth was a placebo. The intended duration of the study was 14 days.
In the February issue of Worst Pills, Best Pills News, we reported on a study published in the December 2005 issue of the medical journal Hepatology. The study found that the annual percentage of potentially fatal acute liver failure cases caused by acetaminophen rose from 28 percent in 1998 to 51 percent in 2003. The authors of this study concluded that liver damage caused by acetaminophen far exceeds other causes of drug-induced acute liver failure in the United States.
AMOUNT OF ACETAMINOPHENPER DOSE
The amount of acetaminophen contained in OTC drugs is clearly listed on the label. Always read these labels before taking any OTC drug to make sure you are not taking acetaminophen in two or more products.