Vicodin and Percocet to be withdrawn from the market

An FDA advisory panel voted in support of withdrawing Vicodin and Percocet. Why? Because Greg House needs to be significantly less awesome Because too many people get liver damage from the Tylenol in Vicodin and Percocet when they take way too damn much Vicodin and Percocet or other Tylenol-containing drugs.. When they take the drugs as prescribed, its absolutely benign. The fact is, Rphs should just dog their techs to make sure every Norco/Lortab/Lorcet/Vicodin/Percocet/etc gets a "Do not take any other medications containing acetaminophen" and they should withdraw obscene OTC combination products with tylenol in them. Withdrawing 1,000 mg tylenol tablets from the OTC market makes tons of sense too, so much that I have to question why the hell was that ever approved in the first place? Most patients probably don't differentiate between a tylenol capsule that contains 325, 650, or 1000 mg.

But Vicodin, Percocet and "drugs like them"? Why the hell are they singling out Vicodin anyway? Two of the three available formulations of Vicodin are nearly exactly available as something else. Vicodin 5/500? Sounds like Lortab 5/500. Vicodin 10/660? Is that so different from Lorcet 10/650? But Vicodin is now an FDA boogeyman. The real pain in the ass here is that they also voted to lower the maximum daily dose of 4 grams per day (which I thought was generally accepted as safe) to something lower that they did not name. Which means prepare to see people go to hydrocodone formulations with far less tylenol like Norco. The boot in the nuts here? Norco has just as much Tylenol as most Percocet formulations, which they also moved to withdraw from the market.

Thanks FDA. Percocet, really? What are we supposed to use for severe chronic pain now, heroin?

Awesome: