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May 29, 2009 -- FDA report calls for stronger label warnings on acetaminophen

Earlier this month, Clark informed you about the dangers of liver failure and death associated with unintended large doses of acetaminophen.

According to The Boston Globe, a new FDA report calls for more stringent label warnings on acetaminophen products -- the most popular of which is Tylenol.

The real danger comes when you have flu symptoms and take a cold remedy that contains acetaminophen, plus a couple of Tylenol in addition to that. The combo can be truly deadly. In fact, acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure.

Of course, you can always protect yourself by simply taking ibuprofen or aspirin instead. But if those options don't appeal to you, Clark has another suggestion.

A traditional dose of Tylenol is 325 mg. For marketing reasons, however, almost all acetaminophen is 500 mg per pill and it's marketed as "extra strength." So you might want to consider switching back to regular strength tablets.

And if you have an inventory of "extra strength" tablets in your medicine cabinet, be sure to only take one pill at a time instead of two.

Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.

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What others are saying

  • Allergic
    Some of us are allergic to aspirin. I agree that everyone should read ALL information before using it. Try something natural instead of meds. I used to take Tylenol because of migraines. Now, I drink one cup of black coffee and it's gone in 30 min. I have also outgrown them to where I don't get them like I used to.
  • Clark = WRONG!
    Typical adult dose of Tylenol (acetaminophen) is anywhere between 500mg to 1000mg every 4 to 6 hours, up to a max of 4000mg per day. A good rule of thumb to follow: READ THE LABEL OF ALL OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS THAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY!
  • Tylonol
    My daughter-in-law died from tylonol poisoning of her liver. The ER doctor said that tylonol should be a prescription medicine.
    dandgmayo@earthlink.net
  • sources
    jim, please provide a credible reference to your claim. thanks!
  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Expiration
    Also be extremely careful about not using this drug after its expiration date. The results can be lethal.
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