Paracetamol - London Pain Clinic (2024)

FAQs

How effective is paracetamol for pain relief? ›

For postoperative pain, perhaps one in four people benefit; for headache perhaps one in ten. This evidence comes from systematic reviews, often of large numbers of good clinical trials. These are robust and trustworthy results.

Paracetamol is a medicine used for mild to moderate pain. It can be bought over the counter in pharmacies, supermarkets and other shops. You can also take paracetamol for: fever (high temperature)

Paracetamol seems to work by blocking the chemical messengers in the brain that tell your body that you have pain. It also reduces a high temperature by affecting the chemical messengers in an area of the brain that regulates body temperature.

Anticonvulsants are one of the most effective medications for treating nerve pain. Examples include pregabalin (Lyrica) and gabapentin (Neurontin). These medications are typically very effective in treating nerve pain, but they may also cause undesired side effects, such as: lethargy.

Paracetamol is a good general pain management medication. It is used to help manage lots of different types of chronic pain. The usual dose for paracetamol is 1-2 tablets (500-1000mg) four times a day.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and paracetamol (Panadol) are the same pain-relieving medication. In the U.S. and Japan, it is called acetaminophen and paracetamol in Europe and most of the rest of the world. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and paracetamol (Panadol) are the same medication. Both drugs are chemically the same: C₈H₉NO₂.

Relieving nerve pain. You may also require medicine to treat any nerve pain (neuropathic pain) you're experiencing. Unlike most other types of pain, neuropathic pain does not usually get better with common painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, and other medicines are often used.

Painkillers for long-term pain

Paracetamol for adults is the simplest and safest painkiller. You could also try anti-inflammatory tablets like ibuprofen for adults as long as you don't have a condition (such as a stomach ulcer) that prevents you using them.

Painkillers. For severe nerve pain, powerful opioid painkillers can help. Studies have found that for many types of nerve pain, they are as effective as anticonvulsants or antidepressants. Unlike other treatments for nerve pain, they also work very quickly.

What is the safest pain reliever for seniors? ›

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is usually safer for older adults than other pain medicines. Topical pain medicines (also called topical analgesics) can also help. When common pain medicines don't work to manage pain, your healthcare provider may suggest other medicines, such as antidepressants or anticonvulsants.

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, known as SNRIs , that may be prescribed to relieve chronic pain include duloxetine (Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle), venlafaxine (Effexor XR, Pristiq) and milnacipran (Fetzima, Savella).

This means that ibuprofen may be more effective in reducing pain associated with inflammation, such as joint and muscle pain. On the other hand, paracetamol is typically better at reducing pain and fever that are not primarily caused by inflammation.

While it used to be believed that ibuprofen shouldn't be given to young children, a 2020 review of 19 studies found that ibuprofen was more effective than paracetamol at controlling fever and pain in children under two, and it had very low rates of adverse reactions.

Is ibuprofen a “stronger” medicine than paracetamol? Ibuprofen and paracetamol are equally strong for treatment of pain and fever. Ibuprofen has more anti-inflammatory effect (e.g., reducing redness and swelling). This is why it is often used to treat joint and muscle pain in adults.