How Much Acetaminophen is Safe?

FDA Warns Against Certain Doses of the Commonly Used Drug

Many patients seeking relief from pain do not realize how easy it is to unknowingly take more of the popular pain relieving remedy, acetaminophen, than is safe. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is regulating the doses of acetaminophen found in certain regularly prescribed drugs in an effort to protect consumers from liver damage.

Acetaminophen, commonly found in Tylenol, is also used in combination medications such as oxycodone (Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and codeine (Tylenol with Codeine). Often, patients prescribed these medications supplement them with Tylenol, but do not realize the potentially harmful effects on the liver.

To prevent patients from accidentally taking too much acetaminophen, the FDA is asking doctors to stop prescribing combination medications that have more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dose. The warning does not apply to Tylenol or other over-the-counter drugs, which the FDA plans to address in the future.