Pain

Pain

Paracetamol is used for the relief of and pains associated with many parts of the body. It has analgesic properties comparable to those ofaspirin, while its anti-inflammatory effects are weaker. It is better tolerated than aspirin in patients in whom excessive gastric acid secretion or prolongation of bleeding time may be a concern. Available without a prescription, it has in recent years increasingly become a common household drug.

Paracetamol can relieve pain in mild arthritis but has no effect on the underlying inflammation, redness, and swelling of the joint. It is as effective as the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen in relieving the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee.

Paracetamol has relatively little anti-inflammatory activity, unlike other common analgesics such as the NSAIDs aspirin and ibuprofen.

Regarding comparative efficacy, studies show conflicting results when compared to NSAIDs. A randomized controlled trial of chronic pain from osteoarthritis in adults found similar benefit from paracetamol and ibuprofen.

The efficacy of paracetamol when used in a combination form with weak opioids (such as codeine) has been questioned by recent data studies; the small amount of data available have made reaching a conclusion hard. Combination drugs of paracetamol and strong opioids like morphine have been shown to reduce the amount of opioid used and improve analgesic effect.

A randomized controlled trial of acute musculoskeletal pain in children found that the standard over-the-counter dose of ibuprofen gives greater pain relief than the standard dose of paracetamol.