BMJ 1996;313:689 (14 September)

Letters

BMJ should use "paracetamol" instead of "acetaminophen" in its index

EDITOR,--One drug is notably absent from C F George's editorial on the naming of drugs.1 Paracetamol is widely used for pain and fever from cradle to grave. It is also the substance most commonly taken in deliberate self poisoning,2 causing 150 deaths a year in Britain.3 It is a medicine that people travelling abroad take with them or buy when they get to their destination, so everyone should know what to call it. Yet it still has two names: paracetamol and acetaminophen. This creates two problems, one for the general public and one for doctors and medical editors.

Acetaminophen is the United States adopted name,4 and in the United States the substance is always and only called acetaminophen. Paracetamol is the recommended international non-proprietary name,4 the British approved name,4 and the name used for the substance throughout the world outside the United States. Two names for such a common over . . . [Full text of this article]


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Naming of drugs: pass the epinephrine, please
Cf George
BMJ 1996 312: 1315-1316. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hoorn, E.J., Halperin, M.L., Zietse, R. (2005). Diagnostic approach to a patient with hyponatraemia: traditional versus physiology-based options. QJM 98: 529-540 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • Kalant, H. (2001). The pharmacology and toxicology of "ecstasy" (MDMA) and related drugs. CMAJ 165: 917-928 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • Holmes, S. B, Banerjee, A. K, Alexander, W. D (1999). Hyponatraemia and seizures after ecstasy use. Postgrad. Med. J. 75: 32-34 [Abstract] [Full text]  
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ