Two popular Excedrin products pulled from shelves amid fears of poorly measured ingredients

Two popular Excedrin products pulled from shelves amid fears poorly measured ingredients could leave consumers with unpredictable doses

  • Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine were pulled from shelves on Wednesday
  • Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline say the move is over ‘inconsistencies’ with the ingredients
  • Excedrin’s active ingredients include acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine
  • The manufacturer says it doesn’t believe the drugs pose a safety risk, but that halting production is merely a precaution

Two Excedrin products have been pulled from shelves over fears the ingredients may have been measured improperly.

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the tablets, announced on Wednesday that it was halting production of Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine.

It’s currently unclear which ingredients – acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine – the company is concerned about or when the issue was discovered.

However, the wrong dosage could leave users with heartburn, ulcers liver damage, and/or stomach bleeding.

Officials say they don’t believe the drugs pose a safety risk, but that the move is merely a precaution.  

Their maker, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline say the move is over 'inconsistencies' with the ingredients. Pictured: Excedrin Migraine

Excedrin Extra Strength (left) and Excedrin Migraine (right) were pulled from shelves on Wednesday. Their maker, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline say the move is over ‘inconsistencies’ with the ingredients

‘Through routine quality control and assurance measures, we discovered inconsistencies in how we transfer and weigh ingredients for Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets and Geltabs and Excedrin Migraine Caplets and Geltabs,’ a statement read.  

‘We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, but at this point in time cannot confirm a definite date as to when supply will resume.’ 

The company said other Excedrin products are still available to purchase at drugstores, including Excedrin PM Headache and Excedrin Tension Headache.

However, the statement recommends ‘consumers…consult their pharmacist for the most suitable alternative product.’ 

CNN reports that GlaxoSmithKline described the issue as ‘short term’, meaning it will be manufacturing the products again soon.

But those who depend on the medication say Excedrin is the only drug that has worked for them. 

Ashleigh Eldred, a resident of Syracuse, New York, who suffers from migraines, told local NewsChannel 9 that no alternatives have worked for her. 

‘I’ve been suffering for about 10 years,’ she said.

‘I’ve gone to the doctors. I’ve tried prescription medicines. I had Botox. I’ve tried medical marijuana and I still end up going back to Excedrin.’  

GlaxoSmithKline did not immediately reply to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

This is not the first time Excedrin – which is sold as Anadin Extra in the UK – has been recalled. 

In 2012, then-maker Novartis pulled it from shelves after the US Food and Drug Administration feared it could be contaminated with opiate prescription drugs such as morphine, reported ABC 13 Houston.

An estimated 39 million adults and children in the US are affected by migraines, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. 

The headaches are so incapacitating that more than 90 percent of sufferers say they are unable to work or function normally if they have a migraine. 

It comes on the heels of new that California is currently debating on whether or not to label acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, as a carcinogen.

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