Acetaminophen Hide and Seek

Interesting how my local Rite-Aid has magnifying glasses on display in the “Analgesics” aisle—the one where you find acetaminophen. It’s either a brilliant marketing ploy or the result of some merchandiser’s sense of humor. Why? If you’re trying to actually read the medication ingredient lists—the ones in mice type—you can’t, so that magnifier can come in mighty handy. 

Now add on the state of mind you’re typically in when you’re tooling down the drugstore aisle in search of acetaminophen. Your eyes are most likely darting across those shelves in search of a red box with maybe some white lettering on a slant (Tylenol). Maybe also a big “E” on a green box (Excedrin). If it’s a bad sinus day, let’s throw in a flash of hot pink (Benadryl). And before you know it there’s an acetaminophen party going on in your little shopping basket. 

It’s a no-brainer to monitor acetaminophen doses when Nurse Betty hands you 2 Tylenol tablets in a Dixie cup during a hospital stay, right? Sure, you want more—or an I.V. drip, and it’s a prayer in you-know-what you’ll get it. But Nurse Betty isn’t with you in the Rite-Aid, is she?

And that’s where the trouble can start.

All joking aside, while acetaminophen is a popular pain-killer in the US, sometimes a thing can be so popular and prevalent that we fail to see it anymore—or we fail to adequately estimate its potentially harmful effects. 

With the recent flurry of news about the risk of acetaminophen overdose and the FDA Advisory Panel’s recommendations for stronger black box warnings on OTC acetaminophen along with the removal of some prescription acetaminophen-based drugs, like Vicodin, it’s a good time to play some acetaminophen hide and seek—and take note of the brands where acetaminophen is “hiding” in those ingredient lists that, of course, you can’t read.

Here, a list of brand name medications containing acetaminophen:

Acephen

Allerest No Drowsiness

Anacin Aspirin Free Maximum Strength Tablets  

Axoce

Benadryl Severe Allergy and Sinus Headache Maximum Strength Caplets

Bupap

Capital and Codeine

Dristan Cold No Drowsiness Formula Maximum Strength Caplets

Duradrin

Endocet  

Excedrin Aspirin-Free Caplets

Excedrin Aspirin-Free Geltabs

Excedrin Extra-Strength Caplets  

Excedrin Extra-Strength Tablets

Excedrin Migraine Caplets  

Excedrin Migraine Geltabs

Excedrin Migraine Tablets

Excedrin Quicktabs

Excedrin P.M. Caplets  

Excedrin P.M. Geltabs  

Excedrin P.M. Tablets

FeverAll  

FeverAll Infants’

FeverAll Junior Strength

Gelpirin  

Genapap  

Genapap Children’s

Genapap Drops Infant’s

Genapap Extra Strength Caplets  

Genapap Extra Strength Tablets

Genapap Gel-Coat Caplets  

Genebs  

Genebs Extra Strength Caplets  

Genebs Extra Strength Tablets

Goody’s Extra Strength Tablets

Goody’s Fast Pain Relief Tablets

Goody’s Headache Powders

I.D.A.

Liquiprin Drops

Midol Menstrual Formula Maximum Strength Caplets

Midol Menstrual Formula Maximum Strength Gelcaps

Midol PMS Maximum Strength Caplets

Midol PMS Maximum Strength Gelcaps

Midol Teen Menstrual Formula Caplets

Midrin

Ornex Caplets

Ornex Maximum Strength Caplets

Pamprin Maximum Pain Relief Caplets

Pamprin Multi-Symptom

Percogesic

Percogesic Extra Strength Caplet

Phrenilin

Phrenilin Forte

Premsyn PMS Caplets

Roxicet  

Sedapap

Sinarest No Drowsiness Tablets

Sine-Off Maximum Strength No Drowsiness Formula Caplets

Sinutab

Sinutab Sinus Medication Maximum Strength without Drowsiness Tablets

Sominex Pain Relief Formula

St. Joseph Cold Tablets for Children

Sudafed Sinus & Headache Caplets

Sudafed Sinus & Headache Maximum Strength Tablets

Supac  

Tylenol  

Tylenol Allergy Sinus NightTime Maximum Strength Caplets

Tylenol Arthritis Pain Extended Relief Caplets  

Tylenol Concentrated Drops Infant’s

Tylenol Extra Strength   

Tylenol Extra Strength Adult

Tylenol Extra Strength Gelcaps  

Tylenol Extra Strength Geltabs  

Tylenol Extra Strength Tablets

Tylenol Flu NightTime Maximum Strength Gelcaps

Tylenol Meltaways

Tylenol Meltaways Junior Strength

Tylenol PM Extra Strength Caplets

Tylenol PM Extra Strength Gelcaps

Tylenol PM Extra Strength Geltabs

Tylenol Sinus Geltabs Maximum Strength Tablets

Tylenol Sinus Medication Maximum Strength Geltabs

Tylenol Sinus Medication Maximum-Strength Caplets

Tylenol Sinus Medication Maximum-Strength Gelcaps

Tylenol Suspension Children’s

Tylenol Women’s Caplets

Tylox  

Ultracet

Vanquish Caplets  

Women’s Tylenol Menstrual Relief Caplets

Wygesic  

(source: nlm.nih.gov, list last updated 2/1/09)

Tags: Acetaminophen, tylenol, Vicodin

This entry was posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 and is filed under Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues, Personal Injury. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.