Archive for October, 2009
Pain killing medication has been around for thousands of years in a variety of forms. Nowadays instead of chewing leaves or boiling up bark you can take pills. But there are so many on the market, which is best? Are they all safe to take and are there any side effects?
Over the counter painkillers are very popular with good reason – they work. From headache to sprained ankles they relieve pain so you can get on with your life. Often the choice of drug isn’t as important as remembering to take it regularly.
Just to add a bit more to your confusion drugs have different names. The generic name is what the drug is first called; the trade name is what it’s sold as. Like cars is generic but BMW is the trade name.
Acetaminophen or paracetamolIt’s also known as Tylenol in the USA. It is widely available over the counter and is used by millions of people. It is good for mild to moderate pain but does not have any anti-inflammatory effect. Taken regularly it has good pain relieving properties. The main potential problem with paracetamol is liver damage if it is taken as an overdose. Without the correct treatment irreversible liver damage will occur and in extreme cases a liver transplant is needed.