Several years ago I picked my niece up from the orthodontist. I handed her a Tylenol to help with the pain of having her braces tightened. Before she had a chance to swallow it the receptionist told me that naproxen (found in Aleve and generic versions) is a better choice for relieving pain from dental work. It took me by surprise. At that time, I had no idea that one type of over-the-counter pain medication was better than another for certain types of pain.

This chart breaks down which pain relievers are the best choices for different ouches, bumps, aches, and bruises. Not only is each pain reliever medication effective for different types of pain, there are different lengths of time the medication lasts, possible side effects, and cautions to remember.

Source

Being overweight to the point of obesity can cause a host of health problems: type II diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, joint problems, etc. But did you know that being obese can also affect how your body handles certain medications and in some cases even make them toxic?

The root of the problem seems to be in the liver. When a person becomes obese, liver enzymes often change due to increased fat in the organ's cells. This changes the way the liver metabolizes some medications and can make them dangerous. Though two of the three medications mentioned in this article are not commonly used (one is a powerful antibiotic only used in hospitals and the other is a diuretic), acetaminophen, a common pain reliever, is one of the drugs experts are worried about.

I was surprised to learn that half of the liver transplants that take place in America are necessary because of acetaminophen poisoning leading to liver failure. That means that people with obesity whose livers are affected could be at risk of acetaminophen toxicity if they take the drug in large doses.

The good news is that losing weight protects not only your heart, but all of your organs, including your liver. One more reason to choose well when you're planning your meals today!

Source

When your child has a headache or just does not feel good, many of us rush to administer ibuprofen, acetaminophen or just plain aspirin -- but are any of those choices not the optimal one to reduce pain in the young ones?

A recent study showed that ibuprofen was, by far, the most preferred pain medication to give young kids for common childhood ailments like headache and pain from bruises and scrapes.

Ibuprofen beat out acetaminophen and codeine-based painkillers in a study which involved 300 kids. The results broke down like this: after 60 minutes, about half the studied kids who had taken ibuprofen reported what doctors considered "adequate" pain relief -- compared with 40% of the codeine group of kids and 36% of the acetaminophen group.

Source

Another important reminder that just because a medication is sold "over the counter" doesn't mean it comes without any potential risks: new data coming out of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School suggests that most commonly used painkillers can increase your risk of high blood pressure.

The painkillers tested included pretty much all of them, including those sold under the names Aleve, Naproxen, Ibuprofen, Motrin, aspirin, and even Tylenol.

Of course this doesn't mean you should suffer by passing on the pain meds altogether, but it does warrant regular conversations with your doctor if you need painkillers frequently -- maybe there are other ways to treat your symptoms.

Source

This week, the FDA recommended sterner warnings on common pain relievers, citing concerns that earlier warnings did not go far enough considering the easy availability of the products and their presence in combination products, such as cold medicines.

Acetaminophen is safe when taken as directed. But at higher doses, the drug can cause liver damage. Patients taking acetaminophen should also avoid alcohol, and never drink more than three alcoholic beverages a day while on the drug.

Ibuprofen, aspirin, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can cause kidney damage and gastrointestinal bleeding, even when taken at normal doses. The number of people who suffer these complications is small compared to the 17 million who take the drug each day, however. Patients at the highest risk include those over 59, those with a history of stomach ulcers or who take blood thinning drugs, or those who take other NSAID-containing drugs or use NSAIDS long term.

Source

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the recall of about 11 million various store-brand bottles of the pain reliever Acetaminophen from store shelves.

The Acetaminophen products are 500mg tablets sold under various store brands on the shelves of many different food and drug retailers. Somehow, small "metal fragments" were introduced into the caplets and tablets during the manufacturing process.

Those caplets are sold by about 130 companies under various brand names. The store list includes Wal-Mart, CVS, and other drug stores, grocery stores, and wholesale location as well.

Source

Earlier today 11 million bottles of generic acetaminophen were voluntarily recalled due to metal fragments found in 500 mg caplets. Acetaminophen is most commonly known as the active ingredient in Tylenol, but this recall only affects some generic "store brand" labels and not the popular brand name. The metal fragments, some as large as one third of an inch (that's huge!), were discovered during quality checks done by Perrigo Co. and contaminate as many as 383 batches of the medication. Perrigo Co. is the largest supplier of store brand acetaminophen, and sites both raw materials purchased from a third-party supplier and run-down equipment as possible causes.

According to the FDA the metal bits don't pose any serious health threats, with most likely ill-effects being a stomach ache or small cuts to the mouth or throat. Up to 129 stores may be affected, including some big names like Wal-Mart, Safeway, and SuperValu Inc. If you're concerned there is a list of all stores possibly affected as well as the FDA's official list of recalled batch numbers.

Okay, it can happen. But my question: Why was the quality control check being done after the medication was sold and distributed to stores?

Source