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Just trying to keep track of the latest battle between makers of acetaminophen, NSAIDS and the FDA is enough to have many of us reaching for a BC for the sudden headache we’ve developed.  Today, the FDA  announced it’s considering tighter restrictions on Tylenol, the brand name for   acetaminophen, due to the high numbers of liver failures each year caused by overdosing on the pain medication and fever reducer.  Tylenol and other makers responded that these restrictions would result in more people using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Advil, which, they say cause kidney failure and 5,000 deaths a year and countless lawsuits.

With 2.6 billion dollars a year in profits for Tylenol, they have a lot at stake.  Further, nearly 85% of these profits are due to over the counter sales versus prescriptions of stronger medicines that include Tylenol.  This speaks to the number of people who have inadequate or no health insurance who rely on these over the counter medicines.

Tylenol provided arguments against reducing the recommended dosage of its medicines, which is one option the FDA is considering, saying that the exact label dosage is what seems to be the magic number for those suffering from osteoarthritis.  Seems there’s no middle ground in the pain reliever wars.  One suggestion included pulling multi-medicines, such as those that include sleep-aids or medicines for cold or allergy symptoms, from the market.  The FDA suggested this might be what’s contributing to the high number of liver failures.  While it’s true many take products such as Tylenol PM to induce sleep at night, it’s not uncommon for many users to become used to the standard dosage and find themselves over-medicating with double or more the recommended dosage in order to get to sleep at night.  It could be this will be the middle ground the FDA is searching for, while trying to keep manufacturers of both acetaminophen and NSAIDs happy.

In the meantime, the battle continues.  The FDA insists it’s not interested in making any one pain reliever the “king”, but rather, to reduce the number of liver failures in this country.

We all know where we stand on abortion, right? And we all know that doctors have the right to refuse a woman an abortion for any reason at all. And, too, we all know this is heated and most likely the most controversial issue in human history.

Here’s what I didn’t know: pharmacists can refuse to fill birth control prescriptions, including the 72 hour pill that’s usually reserved for rape victims. Not only that, but pharmacies are at the mercy of the pharmacist when it comes to selling condoms and other birth control methods that don’t require a prescription. If birth control is against a pharmacist’s religious beliefs, he or she is protected under federal law should the pharmacist choose not to sell such products. In fact, there’s only one state, New Jersey, which must fill any prescriptions presented, regardless of one’s religious beliefs. How do we feel about this? If you’re pro-life and pro-contraception, does that make you a hypocrite? And even those with the strongest sense of religious restriction, can the distinction be made that allows rape victims access to the morning after pill? It just seems like an awful amount of power extended a pharmacist - power that affects other people’s lives. Where is the line drawn?

When did taking birth control go from being an act of a responsible adult to it almost feeling ignoble? And refusing to sell condoms is just insane. How long have we lectured the necessity? This goes far beyond birth control - it’s safe to say it comes down to life or death, yes?

Don’t get me wrong - I’m all for standing for what I believe in, but I’m also against procreation for the wrong reasons. So many religious faiths refuse to accept modern medicine to save lives and have a blind faith of “what’s meant to be will be”. It never occurs to many of these people that the very thing they swear by - solid and unswerving faith - is what has educated doctors and scientists as they created antibiotics that save lives. The answer is right there - and yet a solution coming in the form of modern medicine is not truly a lifesaving miracle.

It’s not a big deal to simply find a pharmacist whose religious beliefs don’t conflict with any prescriptions he’s asked to fill. That’s not the point. To me, the point is why someone would choose a career that will clearly be a conflict of his religious beliefs. Let’s be honest: you don’t see me seeking employment in a police department. I can assure you, I’m vehemently opposed to having a gun put into my face at some point.