Here is one of the articles Firechief wanted me to post. I tried to find
urls for the other three articles I have but couldn't so guess I will type
us some stuff from the article.

It is called:

Pain relief often comes at a price.

By Jane E. Brody

This is about pain control medications.

She says: There's not one without a potentially serious risk. Yet, far too
many people use them carelessly, without adequate attention to dosage and
warnings about risks.

She says: If aspirin had to go through the Food and Drug Administration's
approval process today, it would never make it to market.

Nsaids, can equal or outdo aspirin's action against painful inflammation but
at less risk of bleeding.

But they, too can have serious side effects: They can irritate the
gastrointestinal tract and cause ulcers. People who use Nsaids chronically
are often told to take an anti-acid drug to protect their stomachs.

This problem opened up a market for a new kind of drug called a cox-2
inhibitor, sold as Celebrex, Vioxx, Bextra and Mobic. These drugs are as
good or better than ibuprofen for pain, although as patented prescription
medications, they greatly multiplied the cost of pain relief.

Alas, these, too have come under serious fire as evidence emerged linking
them to heart attacks and strokes among users already at risk for these
problems. With many multimillion-dollar lawsuits looming, Vioxx was the
first to be withdrawn from the market, recently followed by Bextra. Both
drugs may come back, accompanied by more stringent warnings. Or their cox-2
cousins, Celebrex and Mobic, may join the ranks as drugs gone by.

But now acetaminophen is being hailed as an excellent first choice for
chronic pain.

If consumers are unaware of its presence in different medications, or if
they fail to adhere to cautionary statements about dosages, it is possible
to take too much acetaminophen inadvertently.

Taking more than 4,000 milligrams a day of acetaminophen on a chronic basis
can damage the liver of an adult.

It is easier than you may think to take more than 4.000 milligrams a day.
With the higher-dose tablets (650 milligrams each) now sold to treat
arthritis, you can exceed the safety limit if you do not follow the
instructions to take two tablets every 8 hours, for a maximum daily does of
six tablets in 24 hours, adding up to 3,900 milligrams a day.

Even if you follow these directions, you can exceed the recommended daily
dose if you also take another medication - say, an over-the-counter cold or
flu remedy - that contains acetaminophen.

A second warning on acetaminophen says: If you drink three or more alcoholic
drinks every day, ask your doctor whether you should take acetaminophen or
other pain relievers/fever reducers. Acetaminophen may cause liver damage.

So, if your liver is already under attack from alcohol, acetaminophen can be
that last straw, resulting in liver failure.

This year, the journal Emergency Medicine warned physicians about the
hazards of overdoses of acetaminophen. Dr. Shirley Jung and Dr. Kennon Heard
wrote that acetaminophen poisoning could often be much worse than it seemed
at first.

Nausea and vomiting can progress to complete liver failure in as little as
24 hours unless the problem is promptly recognized and the proper antidote
given within 24 hours of a toxic dose. To prevent liver injury, the antidote
should be given within eight hours.

New York Times News Service

This is not the entire article. I just typed out the important parts of it.