Millions of Americans pop a pain pill every day. Whether it is Advil, Aleve, aspirin or acetaminophen, many people assume that their over-the-counter pain reliever is perfectly safe. New labeling requirements may give people second thoughts.
The FDA will require manufacturers of over-the-counter pain medicines to warn about the risk of stomach bleeding from NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen. Acetaminophen labels will need to warn about the risk of liver damage. The labels will also need to display the active ingredients in a prominent fashion both on the box and on the bottle. That’s to help avoid overdosing, since many different products from cold and allergy medicines to nighttime sleep aids contain acetaminophen.
