Over-the-counter drugs can be killers, new warning reveals

Popular over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen and methadone could be killers, and they can cause serious harm, tough new guidelines are suggesting.

Acetaminophen, found in drugs such as Tylenol, can cause life-threatening liver problems, while aspirin is a common cause of stomach bleeding.

America’s drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is telling the manufacturers to highlight the dangers on the drugs’ packaging and labelling, and warn patients about the overuse of some of the drugs.  The drugs are often found in a range of different over-the-counter remedies, and so people could be taking far more than the recommended safe dose without realizing it.

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2009; 301: 2315-6).