New Rx Ingredient Limits

Prescription painkiller ingredients are undergoing some changes as federal health regulators have decided to limit a key ingredient found in Vicodin, Percocet and other pain meds that have been linked to thousands of cases of liver damage each year. The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it will cap the amount of acetaminophen in the drugs at 325 milligrams per capsule (currently, some products on the market contain doses of up to 700 milligrams).

Acetaminophen, which is found in Tylenol, Nyquil and thousands of other medicines used to treat headaches, fever and sore throats, is also used at larger doses in prescription drugs that mix it with narcotics like oxycodone. While not dangerous on their own, these products can cause toxic overdoses when patients combine them with other acetaminophen-containing drugs.

The FDA cited labeling abbreviations as part of the reason for the confusion, so people have no idea that they are overdosing. As a result, the FDA will work with pharmacies to develop standard labeling for acetaminophen. This will be in addition to the new limits on key ingredients. The FDA restrictions come more than a year and a half after a high-profile meeting where a panel of 37 expert physicians narrowly voted to eliminate drugs like Vicodin completely.

Regulators said they decided against that action because of the widespread use of the drugs, which were prescribed roughly 200 million times last year, according to the FDA.

Prescription Drug Addiction

If you or someone you love is battling an addiction to prescription painkillers, call The Canyon at our toll-free. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.