Image description: A bottle of Ibuprofen containing 1000 tablets.


(Originally published earlier today on mastodon.social)

  • woohoo@reddthat.com
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    10 months ago

    In Europe, generally paracetamol (brand name Tylenol in the US) is recommended for headaches / the common cold / flu, and ibuprofen for muscle aches / inflammation.

    For something more severe, they’ll recommend taking one type of painkiller, waiting 2 hours, taking the other, then 2 hours later repeating the process.

    Asprin is has mostly fallen out of usage as a painkiller, but is sometimes still used for heart / blood problems.

    These painkillers are out of patent, so there is never a good reason to pay more for a fancy brand.

    • Thrashy@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      That’s long been my approach with the starting meds reversed (ibuprofen, then Tylenol if needed). Acetaminophen/paracetamol’s therapeutic dosage is much closer to the amount required for liver toxicity than Ibuprofen’s is for kidneys, so I think it’s better to start with the lower-risk medication. If I’m in the middle of a multi-day episode that’s well-managed with just one medication at the regular dosing schedule, I will often alternate between them.

    • BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Acetaminophen is pretty rough on livers and kidneys. People also overdose on it pretty routinely as a lethal dose is like eight pills.

      I prefer ibuprofen, but only because I’m a little chicken when it comes to stuff like that.

      • Gabu@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        as a lethal dose is like eight pills.

        Nobody in a civilized country takes EIGHT fucking pills, unless they want to die. A full card usually has less than 20.

    • derf82@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Tylenol (we call it acetaminophen generically) never worked as well for me as ibuprofen. Plus, it is way too easy to destroy your liver with Tylenol.

      Plus I like the method of action. NSAIDs help control inflammation. Tylenol just blocks pain receptors.