Introduction
Paracetamol is a widely used painkiller (analgesic) from the group of cyclooxygenase inhibitors (non-opioid analgesics) and is used for mild to moderate pain of various causes. It is also used as a fever-reducing drug (antipyretic). Various dosage forms such as: are commercially available. The most common dosage form is 500 mg tablets.
- Tablets
- Capsules
- Suppositories
- Infusions or
- Juices
Trade names
- Paracetamol 500 Hexal ®
- Ben-u-ron ® 500 mg from Novartis
- Benuron ® Captin
- Enelfa ®
- Gelonida ®
- Grippostad ® C
- Neopyrin ® forte
- Thomapyrin ® C painkillers
- And much more.
Paracetamol (N – acetyl – para – aminophenol)4′-hydroxyacetanilide
Fields of application
Paracetamol is used for mild and moderately severe pain of various causes and to reduce fever. Common areas of application:
- Headaches
- Arthrosis (e.g. knee arthrosis, hip arthrosis)
- Back pain
- Toothache
- Fever
Paracetamol usually has a good antipyretic effect. It inhibits the release of prostaglandins.
These play a major role in the development of fever. Prostaglandins normally help to inform and activate structures in the brain. Consequently, it causes a temperature change in the body.
Through various processes this eventually leads to fever. This is where paracetamol comes in. Paracetamol is more fever-reducing than pain-reducing.
Therefore, in some cases, the active ingredient can provide insufficient headache relief. However, the effect is very individual. Therefore, it cannot be said in principle that paracetamol has a bad effect on headaches.
Furthermore, the Headache League recommends a combination of acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol and coffee. This combination should help to reduce migraine attacks. In some cases this seems to be effective.
However, sometimes so-called “analgesic headaches” are also observed with low-dose, long-term consumption of paracetamol. In these cases other painkillers or measures against headaches must be used. The same applies here as for headaches. Since paracetamol has very different reactions, it may have an alleviating effect or not at all.
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