I had a small amount of input in an article on the effects of over-the-counter (OTC) painkiller overuse in today’s Nashua Telegraph:
Over-the-counter pain killers are killing more than pain: they have been linked with more than 16,000 deaths and 103,000 hospitalizations a year in this country . . .
“They’re not benign, especially now that what was prescription medicine is now over the counter,” said internal medicine physician Kevin Pho. “You have to be wary that over-the-counter medicine can be dangerous, too.”
Pho said he feels comfortable recommending Tylenol to patients at doses of less than 4 grams per day. But he said the toxic effects of the drug begin at 5 grams – “a margin of two extra-strength Tylenol,” he noted in an e-mail response.
“I guess the bottom line is that every over-the-counter medication will have side and potentially dangerous effects,” he wrote. “Every patient should disclose what they are taking, (including OTC meds) to their physician.”
The study is taken from the American College of Emergency Physicians, and makes some good points. With what used to be prescription medication now OTC (i.e. Claritin, Prilosec, possibly a statin in the future), it is imperative that patients are informed with what they are taking, and disclose every medication (including OTC) to their physician.
