Self-help Articles

by Robin August, Ph.D.

Lots of people are very frightened about the potential being discussed to remove certain commonly used pain killers such as Vicodin and Percocette from the market. It should be noted that these drugs contain acetaminophen (commonly known as Tylenol brand). The group that has made these recommendations is a group of 37 experts who were assembled by The Food and Drug Administration to discuss and make recommendations only. This group was convened to recommend ways to reduce liver damage or liver failure and even death in individuals taking “overdoses” of acetaminophen. It should be noted that the FDA has not made any decisions about these recommendations. So, no decision has been made.

I have followed different blog sites about Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and there seems to be a lot of fear that the pain medications they are taking will be removed from the market and that they won’t have any pain medication to take. Again, please note that no final decision has been made. I would recommend the following:

1. Discuss with your Physician the ramifications and develop a plan for dealing with this if it goes into effect.
2. Contact the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) directly and discuss your concerns.
3. Contact your Congressmen/Women and Senators to discuss the potential impact of such an action on you.
4. If you are in a Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome support group, discuss with the group what you all might do to educate people about this potential problem.
5. Discuss with your Pharmacist your concerns and find out what pain killers are available for pain that do not contain acetaminophen.

Please note that I am aware that there are some narcotics on the market such as Hydrocodone that are made without acetaminofen. This is one issue you can discuss with your Physician or Pharmacist.

About the author:

Robin August, Ph.D., LCSW. obtained her Master’s in Social Work and her Ph.D. in Psychology from major Universities. She has also studied Life Coaching. She has been in private practice since 1987. She specializes in working with survivors of child abuse, coping with chronic illness, depressive and anxiety disorders, life coaching and general psychotherapy. She lives in the beautiful Smoky Mountains where she enjoys the outdoors. Dr. August also lives with Fibromyalgia and Systemic Lupus so she brings a unique personal understanding to her work.