The Food and Drug Administration said on January 13th that prescription painkillers such as Tylenol 3, Percocet, and Vycodin have high doses of acetaminophen that could potentially cause liver damage, according to an article in the LA Times.
The FDA is asking the manufacturers to reduce the amount of acetaminophen to a maximum of 325 milligrams per dose; many contain as much as 750 milligrams.
Half of all liver failure cases are caused by overdose of acetaminophen, according to Dr. Gerald Dal Pan. Many people take different combinations of drugs, not realizing that there is acetaminophen in them. The article states that people should “read labels carefully to ensure that they take no more than 4,000 mg per day, that they do not take two products containing acetaminophen simultaneously and that they do not consume alcohol while taking such products.”