Paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) is a widely used medicine that helps relieve pain and reduce fever. It is considered a non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic, meaning it can ease mild to moderate pain and lower high body temperature, but it does not have meaningful anti-inflammatory effects like some other painkillers. Key points about what paracetamol does:
- Pain relief: It is effective for headaches, toothaches, muscle aches, back pain, menstrual cramps, and discomfort from colds or flu. Its benefit is typically modest for some conditions, and for certain musculoskeletal issues (e.g., some forms of osteoarthritis) the effect may be small.
- Fever reduction: It lowers elevated body temperature and is commonly used when someone has a fever.
- Mechanism: It is believed to work by influencing chemical messengers in the brain that regulate pain and temperature, rather than by reducing inflammation in the body.
Important considerations:
- Dosing: For adults and adolescents (16 years and older), typical doses are 500 mg to 1000 mg every 4 to 6 hours as needed, not exceeding 4000 mg in a 24-hour period. Dosing for children depends on age and weight. Always follow the product label and consider all sources of paracetamol (including combination cold/flu medicines) to avoid unintentional overdose.
- Safety: Paracetamol is generally safe when used as directed but can cause severe liver damage if taken in excess or with significant alcohol use, especially over longer periods or in people with liver disease. It’s important to avoid taking multiple products containing paracetamol at the same time unless advised by a healthcare professional.
- Situations to exercise caution: Liver disease, regular heavy alcohol use, pregnancy or breastfeeding, other medicines that affect the liver or interact with paracetamol, and known paracetamol allergy.
If you’d like, I can tailor the information to a specific context (e.g., adult self-care, dosing for a child, safety in pregnancy, or interactions with other medications) and provide practical dosing examples.
