Wow, has it really taken this long for them to move past warnings on Vicodin and Percocet and actually do something about the devastating effects these combination drugs have on the liver? The NY Times reports on the recent federal advisory panels ban on Vicodin and Percocet. I guess the 500 or so functions the liver must perform all day long were not monitored in clinical trials when narcotics (a class of opiod based analgesics) + acetaminophen were introduced. The acetaminophen is the danger here – it will destroy the liver. And about 400 people die a year from Vicodin and Percocet.

From Medscape via the Journal for Nurse Practitioners:

More than 200 million persons take acetaminophen each year. Of these, about 200 persons a year die of fulminant hepatic failure from acetaminophen overdosage. The median acute dose causing liver failure is 24 g (48 extra-strength tablets).

The concern here is for people who are in chronic pain and won’t have any options if there is a ban. Now I can’t speak on behalf of an individual in pain – but there are so many ways to reduce pain symptoms through acupuncture, Structural Integration, massage, movement and exercise (the body will produce its own opiod substances when actually moved off the couch and put into a sweat). So skip the Tylenol, Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone and look for safe, effective therapies that can improve your life while reducing your symptons. It’s a win-win for you and your liver.