Order warning labels.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Ever done this? You've got a nuclear headache, so you start with three extra-strength painkillers to guarantee quick relief. No good, so you take two or three more a couple of hours later.

You're taking unnecessary risks with your health when you exceed recommended dosages of nonprescription painkillers. Don't assume dosage instructions for popular medications such as Tylenol are just conservative guidelines that can be ignored.

In fact, acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and hundreds of other common cold and pain-relief products, is toxic at high doses and can cause acute liver failure. About 100 people a year die after unintentionally overdosing on acetaminophen, according to the Food and Drug Administration, and such overdoses lead to more than 56,000 emergency room visits a year.

To raise public awareness of the dangers, the FDA launched a campaign last Thursday urging consumers to carefully follow dosage instructions for products containing acetaminophen and other nonprescription pain relievers. Drug store brochures and magazine ads have been developed to carry the message.

But the current effort needs a much stronger dose of financing and aggressiveness from the FDA. With just $20,000 committed to the campaign, the FDA is depending on pharmacy chains to put the brochure in stores and wants magazines to run the ads for free.

The best potential tool - bolder, clearer warning labels on painkiller packaging - still languishes unused in some state of study at the FDA, though it's not a new idea. Government advisory panels first made recommendations for stronger label warnings on nonprescription painkillers in 1977. Those recommendations were renewed by FDA scientists in 2002.

If the FDA is serious about protecting the public from this risk, it needs to finally heed 25 years of scientific advice and order manufacturers to put new warning labels on these products.