What physicians can do to curb over-the-counter medicine misuse
Every year, it is estimated that more than 126,000 hospitalizations and nearly 17,000 deaths in this country are linked to overuse of over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicine ingredients — specifically acetaminophen and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
In my own practice, it’s not uncommon to find patients who are taking two to four times the recommended doses. This can have tragic results.
Recently, we had a young woman with liver failure. She had been …
