Today we will talk about a drug called Paracetamol. Before or after a meal? How often can I drink it? What can he help from? These and many other questions are of interest to people who have nothing to do with medicine. It is for this reason that we decided to write this article. From it you will learn about adult and children's dosages, when you can take the drug, and when to avoid it.
Is it worth taking a drug such as paracetamol before or after meals? We will certainly tell about this in our work.
To begin with, this drug is the most popular antipyretic for many years. The formula of paracetamol is a real miracle, which allows you to lower the temperature in a number of diseases. Among them, we can see quite common, especially in the cold season:
- flu;
- ARI;
- ARVI and many others.
It is important to know that most antipyretic drugs are based on this particular drug , despite the fact that they are sold in pharmacies under different brands. That is, the effect, indications and contraindications are similar. Only the dosage can differ, so read the instructions always very carefully. Also remember that even the most harmless medicine can be harmful, so do not self-medicate. The drug and dosage should be prescribed by an experienced doctor.
Paracetamol
To understand what the action of paracetamol is, you need to know a little about what it is. For this reason, do not skip this section, although it is a fact-finding.
To begin with, we mention that paracetamol is an analgesic. What it is? This is a special tool that can relieve pain. It can be of different origin, namely:
- natural;
- semi-synthetic;
- synthetic.
Be careful, the instructions for the drug may say that the drug is intended for analgesia. Do not be alarmed by the last term mentioned. It denotes the softening of pain.
Further, paracetamol is also an antipyretic. This allows you to reduce body temperature during fever. Do not be afraid, paracetamol will not lower the temperature below normal, it can return it to normal, but it is not a means to reduce the duration of the fever period.
What else do you need to know about this drug? This is a non-narcotic analgesic, for this reason it can be sold in pharmacies without a prescription prescribed by your doctor. Paracetamol has a very mild anti-inflammatory effect. Reception in large quantities can lead to disruption of work:
- liver
- circulatory system;
- the kidneys.
Therefore, instructions for use will be described below for the drug "Paracetamol". At a temperature, this drug is taken quite often, but the dosage for children and adults is very different, what it can lead to, we have already mentioned, be very careful. Also, caution should be given to people who drink alcohol, since the risk of overdose in this case is greatly increased, they are prescribed a small dose.
Why is it better than aspirin?
We have already said that the agent we are considering has the property of analgesics. It is also often taken by people suffering from headaches. Now we will talk about what is better to use for headaches - paracetamol or aspirin.
It is important to understand that both drugs can reduce pain and body temperature. When you have a choice - paracetamol or aspirin, you need to know that although they are similar in their effects, their activity is manifested in different areas of the body. Additional benefits also vary.
What additional benefits does aspirin have that paracetamol does not have?
- Weakening inflammation.
- The provision of anticoagulant effects.
Let us explain what anticoagulant effect means. This is to ensure the "flow" of blood. That is, aspirin prevents the formation of blockages in the bloodstream. Blood becomes thinner, which has a good effect, provided that the vessels are whole. But we are a little off topic.
What drug should I prefer? Only an experienced specialist can tell you this, since it all depends on the situation, the disease, and the patient’s body characteristics. It is better to consult a doctor about a more suitable remedy than to self-medicate.
For adults
The drug “Paracetamol" for colds is one of the first that we strive to drink in order to alleviate our condition. Most drugs with antipyretic and analgesic effects contain this drug. Now we will talk about the appointment of this tool for adults. Why do we strive to use paracetamol? Its wide range of impact and its meager price have made it a sales leader for many years. Let's look at when you can use paracetamol. With:
- Elevated temperature.
- Toothache.
- Pain in the gums.
- Headache.
- Pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation.
- Hangover.
- The presence of acne and acne.
As you can see, the fairly common drug "Paracetamol". The dosage for adults and children is different. We will write about the method of administration a little later. Now we will find out why this drug is needed for children.
For children
Now let's talk a little about why paracetamol (syrup) is needed for children. To begin with, it is worth saying that you can see this drug under a different name. Here are some of them for example:
- "Dofalgan";
- "Panadol";
- "Kalpol";
- "Mexalen";
- Dolomol;
- Efferalgan;
- Tylenol.
Since they can be listed for a long time, we believe that this list will be quite enough. There are also many forms:
- capsules;
- syrups;
- candles;
- drops;
- elixirs;
- tablets;
- chewable tablets;
- effervescent tablets;
- solutions;
- solutions for injection.
You need to pay attention to this when buying. Not all forms of a drug such as paracetamol are suitable for your baby. Syrup for children is used most often. It also has many different names. But now let's talk about why and in what cases it is given to children. Of course, at elevated temperatures. This is necessary, since high temperature in children under three years of age can cause an attack of seizures. Plus paracetamol in this case is a decrease in temperature and the prevention of an attack.
How to drink it?
Now we will answer the question of how to take paracetamol - before or after meals. Remember, this tool is taken after meals.
Almost all drugs should be taken three times a day after meals, but such a number with paracetamol will not work. Why? It's very simple, paracetamol is traditionally produced and produced earlier in a dosage of 200 milligrams, and this is almost five times less than the norm for an adult. So for each drug there is a special instruction for use, which describes in detail the dosage and method of use of such an agent as paracetamol. Suspension (the instruction prescribes this), syrup, tablets and all other forms of the drug can be taken by adults, while children should be prescribed mainly syrup.
Reception
The instructions for paracetamol say that it can be prescribed to children of the first year of life. It can be consumed when reaching three months. With a question about how to take paracetamol before or after meals, we figured it out. You need to drink it (for better absorption) two hours after eating, drinking plenty of water. As for the dosage, we’ll talk about this in more detail now.
From 12 years old, paracetamol (dosage for adults) can be taken five hundred milligrams up to four times a day. For patients younger than this age, the dosage is different. As a rule, paracetamol suspension is used, the instructions for the tool are attached. The following dosages are usually used:
- 6-12 years - 200 milligrams up to four times a day;
- 3-6 years - 120 milligrams up to four times a day;
- up to three years - following the instructions up to four times a day.
Please note that paracetamol does not treat the source of infection itself, but helps to relieve unpleasant symptoms (temperature, pain). Based on this, it is not necessary to use it in treatment: if there is a temperature, then it is better to drink, if not, then there is no need to use paracetamol.
Contraindications
What are the contraindications for taking Paracetamol? Instructions for use for children and adults prescribe the same contraindications. Now we highlight the main ones:
- hypersensitivity to the active substance;
- the so-called aspirin triad ;
- gastrointestinal tract diseases;
- gastrointestinal bleeding;
- impaired renal function;
- hyperkalemia
- the period after coronary artery bypass grafting;
- newborns of the first month of life (this applies not only to paracetamol, but also to preparations containing it);
- alcoholism;
- coronary artery disease;
- heart failure;
- cerebrovascular disease;
- liver failure.
You can also mention here that the drug "Paracetamol" is not recommended to be taken in the form of a syrup for people suffering from diabetes.
Overdose
Paracetamol (instructions for use for children and adults recommends adhering to the rules of admission) - this is a dangerous medicine, if you neglect the dosages. What will result in an overdose of the drug? In case of poisoning, 4 stages are distinguished:
- The primary symptoms of any poisoning (feeling unwell, vomiting, or just nausea). They can be manifested both jointly and separately (it all depends on the degree of poisoning). During this period, all laboratory indicators are within normal limits. There is 24 hours left until the next stage.
- Now you can detect the first signs of liver damage. At this stage, in laboratory conditions, it can be revealed that the indicators of liver enzymes in the blood have increased (more than 1000 units per 1 liter of blood).
- After 96 hours, liver death begins to develop. Bleeding may occur, this condition can flow into a coma. What is found in the blood: liver enzymes (more than 10,000 units per 1 liter of blood), elevated levels of bilirubin, decreased glucose levels.
- Due to the amazing ability of the liver, which consists in regeneration, at the 4th stage, the healing process takes place. This period can be very long (several weeks).
Interaction with other drugs
Now we will consider the effect of paracetamol with other drugs. Adults with high heat can take paracetamol with a cup of coffee. Caffeine enhances the effect of the drug, the body receives a dose of the energy it needs. In case of headaches, caffeine together with paracetamol leads to anesthesia and vasodilation, which helps a lot in this condition.
Severe headache (with fever) in young children will pass when taking drugs:
- No-shpa;
- paracetamol-containing.
Now about paracetamol with analgin. Taking these drugs together makes no sense, and the load on the kidneys will be much higher. You can alternate. The same applies to Aspirin, which has a lot of contraindications. Alternate medications to prevent overdosing. "Analgin" and "Paracetamol" can not be taken together with other antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
A good substitute for Paracetamol is Ibufen. They should not be drunk together, since the latter has the same effect, and the anti-inflammatory effect is many times greater. Consequently, he will cope with high temperature much faster.
"Nurofen" and "Paracetamol" are also analogues, only the first one lasts longer, it is less harmful. If it is impossible to bring down a high temperature for a long time, then it is necessary to take drugs together. The main thing is to withstand the necessary intervals.
"Paracetamol" for colds in people who are prone to allergies should be taken with Suprastin. The same combination is recommended for children after vaccination if the temperature rises above normal.
Harm and Benefit
"Paracetamol" from temperature is prescribed to children quite often, as well as to adults. But what harm can they cause to the body? So, the main danger is high dose hepatotoxicity. If you exceed the norm, you can get serious liver and kidney diseases. In children, this is less pronounced, but despite this, do not exceed the daily dosage. If the norm of paracetamol for a day is exhausted, then give preference to ibufen-based drugs. Refrain from taking paracetamol during pregnancy, especially in the 3rd trimester, do not give the drug to children in the first month of life.
Despite these shortcomings, it remains one of the best antipyretic and analgesic. Paracetamol is harmless if you follow the rules of administration indicated on the instructions for the drug.
Price
To begin with, we say that the domestic "Paracetamol" 500 mg is significantly different in price from foreign analogues. The latter, with big names, are not very different in their action, but they can hit the wallet significantly. Give preference to the domestic drug "Paracetamol" 500 mg, which costs about 10 rubles.
If we consider imported drugs, then a child will cost from 90 rubles, and an adult - from 50. Carefully read the instructions for the drugs, do not exceed the daily allowance and be healthy!