The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will decide this week whether to strengthen warning labels on ordinary pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen. According to the FDA, common pain medications are safe when used as directed but may cause serious injury when consumers overdose on the pills. From 1995 to 1999, for example, suicides and unintentional
overdoses by people using acetaminophen increased by nearly 50 percent, from 76 to 141. In addition, researchers have linked acetaminophen to
liver problems and aspirin with gastrointestinal bleeding. The FDA plans to meet for two days to discuss the addition of new warning labels.