News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by dreamcompiler on Friday November 08, 2024 @04:23AM (#42085523)
Also true of aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, melatonin, vitamins, supplements, and practically every other over-the-counter drug that is not homeopathic.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by immibis on Friday November 08, 2024 @08:01AM (#42086523)
ESPECIALLY acetaminophen aka paracetamol aka Tylenol aka Panadol. This is the single drug with the smallest ratio between the effective does and the lethal dose, and it would not be approved today because of that. Oh, and you'll be fully conscious while you're dying and there's no known antidote.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by Aerroon on Friday November 08, 2024 @08:13AM (#42086595)
>and there's no known antidote.

Isn't NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine) used for that?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537183/

Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by xienze on Friday November 08, 2024 @08:57AM (#42086871)
My Googling says 7.5g-10g is a lethal (acute) dose for an adult. The extra strength Tylenol pills come in 500mg, and they recommend two of those at a time. Not saying it's wrong that the gap between "effective" and "lethal" is small, but at the same time it's hard to accidentally take 15-20 pills at a time.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by cloverich on Friday November 08, 2024 @09:45AM (#42087215)
I've commonly been recommended 3-4 g per day by Physicians. I take 1 gram as my standard dose.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by dreamcompiler on Friday November 08, 2024 @10:18AM (#42087493)
1 gram is the standard dose for a full-sized adult with a healthy liver who is not taking the drug in conjunction with alcohol.

As to frequency I limit myself to 2 g per day but that's just me giving my liver extra time to recover.

Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by NikkiA on Friday November 08, 2024 @10:39AM (#42087651)
Now consider people with memory issues such as dementia where they might have a headache, take 2 pills, then 10 minutes later think 'I have a headache...'
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by 0x457 on Friday November 08, 2024 @05:11PM (#42090874)
if we're talking about people with dementia and/or memory issues - almost everything becomes dangerous. Not an argument. Doors aren't dangerous, but now imagine a small child being hit with one.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by genocidicbunny on Friday November 08, 2024 @07:17PM (#42091526)
Even doses as low as 1g taken daily for a week or two will show significant changes in liver chemistry. Consider that many other medicines, especially cold medicines, often include it as well, and it's not hard to see how someone that is suffering from a strong cold could end up taking more like 2-3g per day for extended periods of time. That will definitely cause some damage to the liver, which can be recovered from, but should probably be avoided. At least in the US though, many people have already compromised liver function due to chronic metabolic diseases, and for many, the damage might end up being permanent.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by TeMPOraL on Friday November 08, 2024 @04:47AM (#42085627)
Homeopathic too - water allergy is a thing.
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by delecti on Friday November 08, 2024 @01:01PM (#42088962)
Homeopathic pills are usually literally sugar pills, essentially small crummy candy, so not really any water, despite the purported basis of the "technology".
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by TeMPOraL on Friday November 08, 2024 @06:23PM (#42091245)
Sure. Sugar allergy is a thing too.

If you give me six lines written in a material safety datasheet for the most chemically inert of materials, I will find something in them that could cause some human, in some situation, to die.

Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by BenjiWiebe on Saturday November 09, 2024 @12:20PM (#42095549)
After a little bit of googling, it seems that sugar allergy from ingestion doesn't exist. Intolerance is not allergies.

I did find that there's apparently one case of anaphylaxis caused by injection of fructose, though it wasn't the normal reaction referred to as allergies.

Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by BenjiWiebe on Saturday November 09, 2024 @12:13PM (#42095518)
Water allergy is a skin condition triggered by contact with water. I don't think that applies to swallowing water.

If someone's actually allergic to water, they're going to be reacting all the time since they're mostly water and have to drink regularly to stay alive.