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Posted 7/26/2012 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
Went to pick up my meds today, I always pick up every three weeks so I am not going at different times to get everything. Anyway my pharmacist said that my insurance company could not fill my hydrocodone for BT until next week. Not because of them but because of the government new regulations on tylenol. They told me that ina few months it may be hard to even get over the counter tylenol! So I am going to call my doc and ask him to swtich my hydrocodone script to the lower tylenol one, then it should not be a problem anymore.
Posted 7/27/2012 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
Yep...starting back in 2011 the news came out that the FDA guidelines have changed to medications, like narcotics, that have acetaminophen in them be capped at 325mg per tablet.

So they have been phasing out the 500mg ones that are mixed with narcotics.

I don't know of any regulations that are going to put plain Tylenol behind the counter though so if you have anything written by the FDA please advise.
Posted 7/27/2012 12:04 PM (GMT 0)
Wow! I had no idea about that! So I wonder what it means for me? I've taken hydro 5/500 daily for 10 years at the max dose (4 pills per day)
Posted 7/27/2012 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
Mindy,

Do you have any kind of link that shows this new regulation or law? I haven't heard of this, are you talking about some kind of national law, or something state-by-state?

if you can steer me toward anything that references this I woudl appreciate it.

I am on Loratab 10/500 long term (over 2 years now), and of course, the "500" portion is the same ingredient
as Tyelenol.

Thanks,

David in SC
Posted 7/27/2012 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
I think I am allowed to post this link as it's to the FDA.gov website and of course it's nothing to do with advertising and such.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm239821.htm


As you can see...this went into effect in Jan. 2011 but it takes awhile for manufacturers/pharmacies to catch up as well as go through the already made/stocked lots of the 500mg.

This happened when the patent ran out for the generic Oxycontin. You could still get prescriptions to this for even up to a year afterwards.

Also it shows where it does not effect the OTC acetaminophen and that will stay OTC..

Not on this link but others on the FDA website in relation to this was changing the amount in children's prescriptions as well.

Post Edited (Snowbunny21) : 7/27/2012 10:21:47 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/27/2012 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Ahh ok Snow Bunny, that part does ring a bell. I remember when the kiddos dosing changed a while ago. Thanks for the link, I'm going to take a lookie-loo at it after a bit. :-)
Posted 7/27/2012 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry guys I have no link, just going off what my Target pharmacist told me. But I do take the 10/500 for BT so I called my doctor and left a message and asked them to lower it to the 10/325 then I can still pick up all meds every three weeks without issue.

I am not trying to panic anyone but the pharmacsit did tell me that if you take over the counter tylenol you should stock up because it may be harder to get in the future. I do find this slightly hard to believe but then she started telling me about all the accidental overdoses and that is why the government is getting invoveled now.

Again not sure about the over the counter but I have never had a problem until yesterday and my pharmacist said eventually all the insurance companies will be complying with these laws. So thats why I personally am going to get a drop in the tylenol leval so I do not have to deal with this each time.

Posted 7/27/2012 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Ryobi...if you look a few posts up...I provided the FDA link. They are not going to stop making Tylenol and nothing is in the rules yet about taking this from being OTC....And even if they do decide on this in the next few years....then you just walk up to the counter and ask for the Tylenol...Just like we do for some cold medicines now. It's not like they won't have them anymore...so don't worry about stocking up:)


And it is a FDA recommendation to manufacturers of the opiates that contain acetaminophen so they have to produce pills that contain 325mg of acetaminophen...not the insurance companies.

The main reason they changed the recommendations is because people were not paying attention to all the products that have acetaminophen in them. From cough syrups to cold medicines, to opiates.

Along with people who drink alcohol...it is just too hard on the liver...

So dropping the acetaminophen levels from 500mg to 325mg in opiates is really not a big deal at all.

Post Edited (Snowbunny21) : 7/28/2012 12:56:44 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/28/2012 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
I agree, Snowbunny.

My oncologist/PM doesn't mind me being long term on the Loratab 10/500, his only concern is the cumlative effect of all that 500 mm of the Tylenol component on the med. If you take 6 per day, which is my normal, that 3,000 mg worth, if I took the max. dose of 8 per day, that would be 4,000 mg. So if they re-formulated Loratabs to only be 10/325, won't mean a thing to me, except for I will be getting less of the Tylenol part which is a good thing.

I never used Tylenol on its on, for what ails me, it would be like taking a sugar tablet, does nothing for any kind of serious pain I have ever had.

david in sc
Posted 7/29/2012 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the great info!
Posted 7/29/2012 10:45 PM (GMT 0)
I always request the vicodin 10/325 so my liver takes less of a hit. since the tylenol does little for CP anyway I would recommend asking for less whenever possible. Our bodies go through enough!
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