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Acetaminophen Linked to Fatal Skin Reactions

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Acetaminophen Linked to Fatal Skin Reactions By Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin Aug. 02, 2013 Follow @TIMEHealthland Acetaminophen is one of the most widely used medicines for fever and pain, commonly found in drugs like in Tylenol. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) announced that acetaminophen is causing rare, but dangerous skin reactions in some people. The popular pain-killing medication is linked to three skin diseases with symptoms that range from rash and blisters to more extensive damage to tissues under the skin. The two most serious skin conditions are Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which will typically require hospitalization and can be fatal. The less dangerous skin disease is acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), which usually resolves itself within two weeks once acetaminophen is stopped. Many of the reactions start with flu-...