On January 13, 2011, the FDA posted a dosage change for acetaminophen, the medication that is most commonly found in pain killers, to its drug recall blog.

In the FDA’s post, officials state that the acetaminophen content in certain drugs should be no more than 325 mg, especially if the drug is a combination of acetaminophen and opioids. This warning specifically mentions drugs like Hydrocodone, Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab and Tylox. This warning was issued on medications in any form, including capsules and tablets, to ensure that these drugs will be safer for patients to take.

While the warning doesn’t come right out and say that the move is specifically designed to avoid patients getting Stevens-Johnson syndrome, it does go on to explain that one of the specific reasons for limiting acetaminophen dosages is to “prevent allergic reactions such as: swelling of the face, mouth, and throat, difficulty breathing, itching, or rash” (all of these symptoms are synonymous with SJS). SJS is a skin disease that is caused by a severe allergic reaction to medication. Tylenol and Children’s Tylenol have already been proven to cause SJS in some patients and I have helped many of those patients file lawsuits.

The warning also makes a point to let consumers know that“over-the-counter medications that contain acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) are not affected by this warning. Information about the potential for liver injury is already required on the label for OTC products containing acetaminophen.” There was no further specific mention of Tylenol in the post.

However, according to a study of 12,978 people taking Tylenol with Codeine posted on ehealthMe.com on January 29, 89 (0.69%) of those people contracted Stevens-Johnson syndrome. According to the information at ehealthMe.com, at least, this FDA warning seemed to miss the ball by not including Tylenol with Codeine on its warning list of OTC drugs that can cause allergic reactions… specifically, SJS.

If you have experienced SJS as a result of taking drugs containing acetaminophen, contact Greg Jones today for a free consultation. You may be eligible to file a SJS lawsuit and I will work hard to get you every dime that you may be entitled to.