I was at blogher looking at some things and ran across this post. I had seen the reports several weeks ago about the recommendation to ban Percocet, Vicodin, and other narcotic pain relievers that contain acetaminophen and planned to post about it then but life got in the way and I never got around to it. But now I’m reminded of this particular issue that could have some very real ramifications for me and I want to put it into perspective a little bit.
I’ve mentioned before about my tendency to get kidney stones. I haven’t had any really bad episodes in months, but when I do, Percocet or Vicodin is my best friend. I take one small dose and that typically takes the edge off enough that I am able to do the every day tasks I need to do. I don’t drive, I try to make sure someone is around in case I become unable to take care of the kids, and I never take more than recommended. I am overly cautious about it because a) I don’t want to get addicted, b) I can’t function if I take more than the very minimum dose, and c) I can’t afford to go to the doctor and get another prescription if I run out since I don’t have insurance right now. Luckily, I rarely need more than a few hours of pain relief, so one is usually all I have to take. I’m thankful to my doctors who know this and don’t hesitate to prescribe it for me when I run out and need a new prescription once a year or so.
BUT, because they contain acetaminophen in addition to the narcotic painkiller, some group of people (undoubtedly NOT people who have a regular, ongoing need for this type of drug!) has decided they should be taken off the market. Because there are a few people out there who aren’t responsible with their medications, who don’t take the time to learn about what they’re taking, and who manage to overdose on acetaminophen when taking them. I’m not discounting the seriousness of acetaminophen overdose…it can cause liver failure and death, so it’s certainly something that we need to prevent if at all possible. But considering you can buy a gigantic bottle of acetaminophen (and for those who don’t know, acetaminophen is Tylenol) for $4 at Walmart, I think that banning Percocet is going a little overboard.
Let’s start with education. Doctors need to remind their patients about the risks associated with a medication before dashing off a prescription and sending them to the pharmacy. Pharmacists need to be required to give counseling on these drugs, because acetaminophen overdose is not the only problem associated with them. How about making sure the patient understands the nature of narcotics? Gee, that’s a novel concept. The problem here is this: if we start taking away the acetaminophen because people are too dumb to take it appropriately, then what’s next? Are you going to take my narcotics away because a lot of people get addicted to them, even though it is (for the vast majority of people) something that is taken responsibly and sparingly and only when necessary? Are we going to pull all Tylenol off the shelves if we ban the narcotic+acetaminophen drugs? Where do we stop? I can only imagine how the people with chronic pain are feeling about this.
I understand feeling the need to save us from ourselves, but in this case there is a definite benefit from drugs like this. This is a quality of life issue, and I hope the FDA sees that and keeps these drugs available for those who need them.
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