Suicide-related over-the-counter analgesic exposures reported to United States poison control centers, 2000-2018.
Alexandra G HopkinsHenry A SpillerSandhya KistamgariMotao ZhuNichole L MichaelsAlexandra R FunkGary A SmithPublished in: Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety (2020)
The rate of suicide-related OTC analgesic cases is increasing. Acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid cases are associated with greater morbidity and mortality. Prevention efforts should include implementing unit-dose packaging requirements and restrictions on package sizes and purchase quantities for acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid products to reduce access to large quantities of these analgesics.