Acetaminophen overdose: a little recognized public health threat.

摘要

Recent concerns regarding acetaminophen overdose have lead multiple stakeholders to collaborate towards advancing the safe use of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications. Although the majority of acetaminophen overdose cases are intentional overdoses, recent reports indicate that unintentional acetaminophen overdose in the USA continues to exist.1 More importantly, unintentional overdose of acetaminophen is the overdose type most likely to result in hospitalization, liver injury, or death. The Federal Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research recently held a public workshop to assess current research in the area and to foster further investigation. In addition, early this year, the FDA announced that it will be requesting modifications to current practice in two specific areas: (i) reduction of dosing per tablet or capsule of any product containing acetaminophen and (ii) requiring warnings for prescription medications containing acetaminophen.