MetaFilter posts tagged with prescription and drugs

A new scare?

borborygmi — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:26:11 -0800

You may know it as acetaminophen, paracetamol, APAP, or ... Tylenol. Today an FDA advisory panel recommended banning prescription drugs that contain acetaminophen, such as vicodin and percocet. The panel of experts also voted to give acetaminophen a black box warning, and reduce the maximum dosage of over-the-counter formulations. Acetaminophen is a popular painkiller by itself and, in combination with opiates, is the most commonly prescribed medication in the US. Acetaminophen has known for over a hundred years, though its use in the US began in 1955. The brand has survived scares and maintained its popularity for decades, thanks to some innov ative mark eting (last link is a pdf) and effective analgesia in many clinical settings. Acetaminophen is generally better tolerated than ibuprofen and other painkillers, but it's not without adverse effects -- acetaminophen is now the leading cause of liver failure in the US. The FDA panel hopes these measures will reduce overdoses leading to fulminant liver failure, but similar restrictions in the UK have had mixed results.

How to think about prescription drugs.

trharlan — Sun, 31 Oct 2004 21:03:21 -0800

How to think about prescription drugs. Malcolm Gladwell's latest piece in The New Yorker
The emphasis of the prescription-drug debate is all wrong. We've been focussed on the drug manufacturers. But decisions about prevalence, therapeutic mix, and intensity aren't made by the producers of drugs. They’re made by the consumers of drugs.

Generic drugs are cheaper...sometimes

ajpresto — Mon, 19 Jan 2004 03:37:21 -0800

An AP story says that generic drugs are cheaper than half price brand name drugs from Canada. What the FDA doesn't say is that most of the time, you can't get generics. The FDA acknowledges that there is a 20 year lag time due to patents. So, if you want an old drug, fine, but most of the time, I suggest, foreign drugs are still cheaper, if you can get them from a reputable source that hasn't been bullied yet.

Prescription drug research

semmi — Mon, 25 Nov 2002 12:55:55 -0800

Oregon Prescription Drug Research. AARP provides a guide to the first publicly funded, unbiased source of information comparing the effectiveness and safety of several categories of prescription drugs.