FDA Weighs Pulling Nyquil off Shelves to Address Acetaminophen Overdose

The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog notes that the FDA is mulling whether to pull Nyquil off the pharmacy shelf to address the problem of acetaminophen overdose. Acetaminophen (which is called paracetamol by folks in other countries) can cause liver failure in high doses, something that the public still apparently has not grasped. The FDA "cites one study that suggested acetaminophen overdoses were associated with 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and 458 deaths per year in the U.S. during the 1990s."

Call me crazy, but if the problem is acetaminophen overdose, maybe the first product to take off the shelf should be Tylenol, not Nyquil. Tylenol is just straight acetaminophen, rather than a syrupy blend of various substances that's found in Nyquil.