Indications:

Paracetamol has good analgesic and antipyretic properties. It is suitable for the treatment of pains of all kinds (headaches, dental pain, postoperative pain, pain in connection with colds, post-traumatic muscle pain). Migraine headaches, dysmenorrhea and joint pain can also be influenced advantageously. In cancer patients, paracetamol is used for mild pain or it can be administered in combination with opioids (e.g. codeine).

Paracetamol has been compared to many other analgesics and is considered approximately equipotent to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) . However, it does not always reach the efficacy of usual doses of modern non-steroidal analgesics (especially ibuprofen). In general, paracetamol is less efficacious than salicylates and other antirheumatic agents for problems that require anti-inflammatory treatment.

Paracetamol is well suited for use in children. It represents a preferred alternative when aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is contraindicated (e.g. because of a history of ulcer or viral infection in the child).

Paracetamol (as a single substance) appears to have little potential for dependence.

Adverse Reactions:

Paracetamol only rarely causes gastrointestinal problems or allergic skin reactions. Blood dyscrasia (e.g. thrombocytopenia), methaemoglobinemia, and hemolytic anemia are very rare. A minority of the subjects with so-called aspirin intolerance responds to paracetamol with bronchospasms. It is not safely established if paracetamol can cause a nephropathy, like drug combinations containing phenacetin.

When metabolized in the liver, small amounts of an intensely active metabolite, which is normally immediately inactivated by glutathione, are produced. An overdose causes a glutathione deficiency; the reactive metabolite may then cause hepatocellular damage and necrosis leading to acute liver failure. Toxic effects have been observed in adults treated with doses of more than 10 g (20 tablets). However, if there is a pre-existing liver insufficiency, paracetamol can be hepatotoxic even in small amounts.

Interactions:

The suspicion that enzyme inducers increase the toxicity of paracetamol has not been confirmed. There are no other relevant interactions.

 

So yeah, I’m still sick and I’m taking Paracetamol every four hours to abate the fever.