At home we often consume paracetamol. It is one of the safest and most effective medicines that exist to curb common headaches such as head pains. It hardly carries side effects and even your intake is allowed during pregnancy and lactation.
Paracetamol comes in different formats to adapt to the therapeutic needs of the patient and thus facilitate his administration: tablets, bucodispersibles, effervescent pills, envelopes, capsules, or oral and suppository solutions, two methods especially recommended for use in children.
When is it recommended?
We usually use it to relieve mild or moderate pain thanks to its analgesic action and to reduce fever in the treatment of various diseases thanks to its antipyretic action. However, it has no anti-inflammatory capacity, so it is not as effective in acting in painful and swollen areas.
Therefore, paracetamol is recommended to treat menstrual, dental, and head, lesions without inflammation or to relieve symptoms of the flu or similar.
What dose is the right one and how should it be taken?
Paracetamol is presented in different doses, from 325 milligrams to 1 gram. The patient should choose the most appropriate dose according to his ailment and take the minimum dose to ensure results.
As a general rule, adults can take, orally, 500 to 1000 milligrams every 6 or 8 hours, depending on the degree of intensity of their ailment. In the case of children, it is usually eaten in an oral or suppository solution, in an appropriate dose according to their age and weight.
Unlike ibuprofen, paracetamol should be ingested without food to minimize absorption time and thus accelerate its effects. That way, the pain relief will come sooner. If the fever continues after 3 days, the pain persists after 5 days, or the symptoms worsen, it is important to go to the doctor and never self-medicate.
What risks can its consumption have?
In reality, paracetamol is one of the safest drugs that exist, which does not mean that we should not pay attention to some special situations. As a general rule, your consumption should be limited, i.e. it is recommended to ingest it in your minimum dose and for a short time.
In adults, the dose should not exceed 4 grams per day, while in the case of children, a pediatrician should dose-fix the weight. Excesses from prolonged use may end up in interstitial nephropathy or kidney disorder.
In addition, prolonged administration should be avoided in patients suffering from lung or heart conditions, anemia, or severe kidney dysfunctions. In the latter case, precautions must be taken and used occasionally to avoid adverse kidney effects.
As for people who usually consume alcohol, the use of paracetamol can alter liver function, causing serious damage. For this reason, in the case of chronic alcoholics, their consumption cannot exceed 2 grams per day.
Asthmatic patients are sensitive to acetylsalicylic acid, as paracetamol can cause a cross-reaction in them. As for people taking different medications, it is key to avoid the simultaneous use of those who have paracetamol in their composition leading to possible episodes of poisoning.
Why do you sometimes combine with other drugs?
Paracetamol adapts perfectly to most people and can be combined with other active substances to increase their potential. That way we get the desired results after a single shot.
The analgesic effect of this common medicinal product may be enhanced with the help of other painkillers such as tramadol or codeine. Thus, we get the effect to be more intense when it comes to fighting stronger pains. Either way, it is the doctor who has to evaluate this composition according to each case.
Associating various drugs also leads to an end to several symptoms at once. It is common to encounter flu in which paracetamol has been combined with a decongestive and antihistamine to relieve the symptoms of the flu and the common cold: fever, pain, nasal congestion, sneezing, and general discomfort.
How is it different from ibuprofen?
Although paracetamol and ibuprofen are medicines with analgesic and antipyretic capacity, the latter belongs to the group of nonsteroidal NSAIDs or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, so it also has anti-inflammatory capacity. In this way, ibuprofen in addition to fighting fever and pain, reduces inflammation, being one of the most notable differences.
Another differentiating aspect between the two is related to their side effects after their intake. Paracetamol barely has adverse reactions, only with high doses and after prolonged use. However, ibuprofen can cause gastrointestinal disorders, hence it should be taken at meals. It can also damage the kidneys and liver, producing dermatological and cardiovascular effects.
Therefore, paracetamol is not a gastro-injurious drug and does not hurt blood clotting, unlike ibuprofen, which acts by reducing the level of platelets in the blood.