CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by cma on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:11PM (#38006971)

Not harmless with Acetaminophen of they don't realize it and also take pills at the same time, pretty narrow range to liver damage.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by shanewilhelm on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:24PM (#38007085)

You might be thinking of aspirin, which is toxic at fairly low dosages. Acetaminophen (aka Tylenol) is much, much safer.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by tcoff91 on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:27PM (#38007107)

I'm pretty sure you have it backwards. Tylenol/Acetaminophen is quite hard on the liver.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/acetaminophen_....

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by k0k0 on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:40PM (#38007223)

This is misleading. Tylenol in therapeutic dosages does not seem to have much ill effect on the liver, it is not like alcohols or other direct liver toxins. Even people with advanced stage liver disease can receive acetaminophen. When it becomes toxic at supratherapeutic doses it is very toxic.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by PumpkinSpice on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:35PM (#38007174)

Acetaminophen has a narrow therapeutic index and can cause severe and irreversible liver injury in doses around 10 g. A single tablet usually contains 500 mg, but because it's a component of so many other "combo" cold meds, including some syrups, it's easy for people to overdose while mixing OTC products to get over a flu.

Aspirin has a lower standard dose (325 mg), higher LD50 (probably around 20-25 g), and is generally safer. It has fallen out of favor because it's known to cause an exceedingly rare but deadly syndrome in a tiny percentage of children, and because it can have gastroenterological side effects.

Ibuprofen is probably the safest option? I'm sure it can be overdosed, but it almost never happens, whereas acetaminophen results in tons of hospitalizations every year.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by pdonis on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:43PM (#38007255)

> Ibuprofen is probably the safest option?

Ibuprofen can also be liver toxic, but I believe the LD50 is significantly higher than the other options. I have not been able to find an exact number online.

As has been mentioned by others in this discussion, ibuprofen can also cause stomach upset (my wife has this problem, even when she takes it with food).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by k0k0 on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:47PM (#38007306)

> Ibuprofen is probably the safest option?

Are you kidding? Ibuprofen like most NSAIDS is terrible on the GI tract and the kidneys. People with healthy kidneys are usually fine with short courses, but even people with relatively mild chronic kidney disease should avoid NSAIDs.

People in their 20s that overuse NSAIDs end up needing kidney transplants. it's not that uncommon. The most common cause of peptic ulcer disease of this demographic (affluent westerners) after H pylori is NSAID use.

> It has fallen out of favor because it's known to cause an exceedingly rare but deadly syndrome in a tiny percentage of children

This has really nothing to do why aspirin has less common use among adults. Aspirin has poor analgesic effects relative to the doses and the risks of GI complications.

> acetaminophen results in tons of hospitalizations every year.

The impact of NSAID related complications is far greater in terms of kidney transplants and upper endoscopy interventions, and related ICU stays.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by lmm on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:50PM (#38007337)

> Ibuprofen is probably the safest option?

I've heard it can damage the stomach lining if taken at the wrong time relative to eating. But yeah probably still the least-bad first-resort painkiller.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by 6bb32646d83d on Wednesday October 25, 2023 @02:31PM (#38016437)

I didn't know about this and got a nasty ulcer after taking ibuprofen for 6 days in a row while dealing with a disease. I'm not touching this anymore and stick with a max of 2g of acetaminophen per day if I need painkillers

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by bmurphy1976 on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:36PM (#38007186)

Aspirin and Ibuprofen will tear up your stomach and intestinal linings. Think internal bleeding. Alas I had to push back an epidural I desperately needed for back pain a few years ago by a week or two because I was taking too much Ibuprofen. I had blood in my urine as a result.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they'... by pyrophane on Tuesday October 24, 2023 @07:42PM (#38007251)

Ah, good point. People combine alcohol and other meds with that all the time, which can be not so harmless. We shouldn't be putting that in random meds for people who are stuffed up or have a cough.

[ Parent | on HN ]