Posts Tagged ‘ Acetaminophen ’
Children & Acetaminophen Dosing—did Google go to Med school?
July 28th, 2009. By AbiK
Here’s something scary. Type this into Google search: How much Tylenol do I give?—just for the heck of it. I just did. I figured with all the news lately on acetaminophen and the FDA Advisory Panel recommending more stringent warnings on OTC acetaminophen, there must be some worthy sites getting the word out on safe dosing, right?
Here are the 9 links listed on the first page of my search results:
pediatrics.about.com (they have a dosing “calculator”, then tell you to check the answer with your doctor)
plateaupediatrics.com (a local pediatrician’s office in TN)
wiki.answers.com (yes, those pages where anyone can contribute info)
abcnews.go.com (ok, it has a video of a doctor answering the question)
thelaboroflove.com (a having babies site—and I’m having to work too hard for an “about us” page)
fda.gov (it doesn’t give the answer to my question, but at least it’s from the FDA)
answers.yahoo.com (to date, the “best answer” by voters is from a user named “Courage”; No, I’m not kidding.)
Acetaminophen Hide and Seek
July 13th, 2009. By AbiK
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.
Acetaminophen: Whatever Happened to Personal Responsibility?
July 1st, 2009. By AbiK
I’m feeling a bit like news anchor Howard Beale in the movie Network—when he’s mad as you-know-what and not going to take it anymore. Yesterday’s report on the FDA panel that voted to eliminate Vicodin and Percocet is one thing—they’re controlled substances and many times when you’re given or prescribed them you’re in no condition to care about potential risks. You just want a glass of water and pill-in-hand, thank you. So I’ve got no issue with big brother keeping a watchful eye here if risks are outweighing benefits.
But, when the FDA panel starts going off on OTC acetaminophen to the extent where it is recommending dosage limits (i.e., reducing the amount of active ingredient per pill) and suggesting that the current OTC dose—1,000 mg (2 pills at 500 mg each)—be available only by prescription, it’s time to raise an eyebrow.
Here’s the thing. As msnbc.com reported the FDA panel vote yesterday it said, “The FDA convened the two-day meeting to ask experts to discuss and vote on a slew of proposals to reduce overdoses with acetaminophen.”
Keyword: OVERDOSES.
Week Adjouned: 5.29.09
May 29th, 2009. By admin
So, where to start this week?
Top Class Actions:
Wanna be a Hooters girl? Cough up $9.95 for those hot pants (they’re for sale at Hooters—seriously). That’s what eight ladies who used to work at Hooters, specifically 4 Hooters franchises in California, claim in a class action they filed over the working conditions and costs associated with the infamous waitressing positions. Their allegations claim almost Victorian conditions, including having to buy their own trademark uniforms from the restaurants; paying for cash shortages or customer walkouts, or face being disciplined (what could that mean?); and not being paid to work special events. One wonders how much of their earning the waitresses actually take home. You Go Girls!
Many happy returns at Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart’s also back in the news, and the courts, this time the class action complaint alleges that the world’s largest retailer is not living up to the terms of its own return policy. It seems they’re getting petty over sales tax, in that people returning goods to a Wal-Mart store location with a lower applicable sales tax rate than where the merchandise was originally purchased, get reimbursed the lesser sales tax rate. So what happens to the left-over sales tax that’s not reimbursed? Does that go to the government?
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