Why was ipecac syrup pulled off so many drugstore shelves?

Fear of aspiration: As you know, 20-30 years ago, we advocated that every household should have a bottle of ipecac, so that if a child takes overdose of something or eats some harmful item, then giving ipecac makes the child vomit the harmful stuff. But, that has caused a lot of aspiration and caused respiratory problems. Because of this reason, we decided that ipecac is not a good treatment for an overdose etc.

Simple reason=abuse: Years ago they realized that ipecac in the hands of nervous parents was seldom used properly;given at times it shouldn't or not when it should. Its value in treatment was also found to be poor under supervised conditions. Later, it became a drug of abuse, leading people who used it to purge repeatedly, leading over time to heart damage and other complications.