07/09/2022
Paracetamol
Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a medication used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. At a standard dose, paracetamol only slightly decreases body temperature, it is inferior to ibuprofen in that respect, and the benefits of its use for fever are unclear. Paracetamol may relieve pain in acute mild migraine but only slightly in episodic tension headache. However, the /paracetamol/caffeine combination helps with both conditions where the pain is mild and is recommended as a first-line treatment for them.
Medical uses
Fever in combination with other medication
Pain such as muscular pains, dental pain, surgical pains, headaches.
Adverse effect
Gastrointestinal adverse effects such as nausea and abdominal pain are common with the use of paracetamol. Those who take it regularly at a higher dose (more than 2–3 g daily) are at much higher risk (3.6–3.7 times) of gastrointestinal bleeding and other bleeding events. Meta-analyses suggest that paracetamol may increase the risk of kidney impairment by 23% and kidney cancer by 28%. Paracetamol is particularly dangerous to the liver in overdose, but even without overdose those who take this drug may develop acute liver failure requiring liver transplantation more frequently than the users of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Paracetamol slightly but significantly increases blood pressure and heart rate.
Use in pregnancy
Paracetamol safety in pregnancy has been under increased scrutiny. There appears to be no link between paracetamol use in the first trimester and adverse pregnancy outcomes or birth defects. However, indications exist of a possible increase of asthma and developmental and reproductive disorders in the offspring of women with prolonged use of paracetamol during pregnancy.
Recomemded dose: adult: 2 tab 3 or 4x daily but not more than 8 tablets in any 24 hours
Chld :6_12yrs 1/2 tab 3 or 4x daily not more than 4 tab in any 24hours
Chld less than 6yrs should use syrup
