There are drugs that are used as medicine from a home medicine cabinet. They are effective in the treatment of certain diseases; they are sold in pharmacies without a prescription. One such drug is paracetamol. As an anesthetic and antipyretic it has been used for more than a dozen years.
Helper medicine
Pain is a sign of certain problems that the body experiences. In most cases, people take painkillers to relieve this unpleasant symptom. They believe that the cause of the pain is minor and does not require immediate medical attention.
Paracetamol is an analgesic used at home, often without a specialist's prescription. However, this medicine has a fairly long practice in the treatment of a wide range of diseases or conditions.
What are the forms of release of the drug?
Paracetamol as an analgesic and antipyretic is used in the treatment of diseases of adults and children. This allows you to do both the properties of the drug itself and its release form: tablets, rectal suppositories, syrup, suspension.
Paracetamol acts as an analgesic to eliminate the symptoms of many diseases. Adults in most cases prefer to take pills. This dosage form contains 500 mg of the active ingredient - paracetamol, as well as excipients that play a formative role. For adults, capsules containing 325 mg of paracetamol are also available.
Rectal suppositories are used in pediatrics or in the treatment of patients unable to take the drug orally. Suppositories are different in size - 0.08, 0.17 or 0.33 g. They are selected according to the age of the child, as they differ not only in size but also in the amount of active component, the content of which can be from 50 to 500 mg per unit.
For children, pharmaceutical companies produce paracetamol in the form of a syrup or suspension. These medicines have not only a liquid texture, but also a pleasant fruity taste and aroma. 5 ml of both syrup and suspension contain 120 mg of the active substance.
What works in the medicine?
Almost all adults know that the drug “Paracetamol” anesthetizes headache, toothache, pain during colds, and also lowers the temperature. What works in medicines united by one name? The medicinal substance paracetamol belongs to the pharmacological group of anilides - organic compounds based on aromatic amines. The substance in question is a crystalline powder that cannot be dissolved in water, but can be in alcohol. Its natural color is white, may have a slight shade of yellow or pink, which is clearly visible on the tablet form.
How does the active component work?
Pharmacists often hear the question: "Can I drink paracetamol as an anesthetic?" The answer is undoubtedly positive, but the cause of the pain should be determined by a specialist and only then recommend certain drugs.
The substance in question, getting into the human body, works as an analgesic and antipyretic, acting on the production of prostaglandins - suppressing it, and also reduces the excitability of the hypothalamic thermoregulation center. Prostaglandins are physiological active substances produced in the human body that sensitize nociceptive receptors to pain mediators - histamine and bradykinin. Paracetamol also inhibits the production of prostaglandins, which means it also reduces the pain threshold. Also, this medicinal substance acts on the hypothalamus, one of the functions of which is the thermoregulation of the body. Paracetamol reduces the activity of the center that performs this important function, as a result of which the body temperature decreases.
The main area of work of paracetamol is the central nervous system, which includes centers of pain and thermoregulation.
The way of medicine in the human body
How to take paracetamol as an anesthetic or antipyretic, says the instructions for use, which is enclosed by the manufacturer in the package of the drug. But the pharmacokinetics in any case will be the same. Once in the gastrointestinal tract, paracetamol is actively absorbed into the systemic circulation, reaching a maximum concentration after 0.5-2 hours. With plasma proteins, it binds to 15%. The plasma half-life is about 2-4 hours. Paracetamol metabolism processes take place mainly in the liver, where almost 80% of the active substance reacts with glucuronic acid and sulfates, forming inactive metabolites - glucuronide and paracetamol sulfate.
Hydroxylation undergoes 17% paracetamol, with the formation of 8 active metabolites, which in turn conjugate with glutathione and form inactive metabolites. If glutathione is not enough for metabolic processes, then these metabolites can block the hepatocyte enzyme systems, which will cause their necrosis.
The CYP2E1 isoenzyme is also involved in the processes of metabolism of the active substance. Paracetamol metabolites are excreted mainly by the kidneys.
When is the drug used?
Paracetamol as an anesthetic is used in many cases if the pain experienced is weak or moderate. Most often, as a medicine from a home pharmacy, drugs with this component are taken for toothache, headache, algodismenorea, myalgia, neuralgia, back pain, migraine. With colds and fever, these drugs are most in demand.
Paracetamol is also used as an anesthetic for pain in the joints, although its effectiveness in these cases is little proven. As an anti-inflammatory agent, this drug is used only in the complex treatment of the disease, having a slight effect on microorganisms.
The drug is dispensed from the pharmacy network without a doctor’s prescription, but it is strictly forbidden to take it for other purposes, not following the recommendations of the drug manufacturer.
How is the medicine used?
Pharmaceutical forms of drugs under the studied name allow their use in the treatment of people of different ages and health characteristics. So, many parents of babies are wondering: "Is it possible to use" Paracetamol "as an analgesic and antipyretic?" The answer was given by drug manufacturers. After all, even for infants, starting from 3 months, rectal suppositories with this active component are produced.
The dosage of this dosage form depends on the age and body weight of the small patient. So, the smallest form of the drug in 0.08 g is used in the treatment of babies from 3 to 12 months. Suppositories weighing 0.17 g are prescribed for children from 1 year to 6 years. For children, starting from the age of 7 and up to 12 years, candles in 0.33 are recommended. For older patients, doctors prescribe adult suppositories containing 500 mg of the active ingredient. Rectal suppositories are placed on the patient after bowel movement. They are not recommended to be used more than 4 times in one day.
Syrup and suspension "Paracetamol" are used in pediatrics for children from 1 month of life. For the smallest patients, and also if the child suffers from food allergies, it is better to use a suspension, since it contains less sugar than syrup. Both forms of the drug are dosed equally:
- from 3 (on the recommendation of a specialist from 1 month) to 1 year, the baby is given 0.5-1 teaspoon of the drug;
- from 1 year to 6 years, the child takes 1-2 teaspoons of the medicine;
- from 6 to 12 years, a single dose will be 2-4 teaspoons of the drug.
Both the suspension and syrup should be given to the child no more than 4 times in one day, trying to ensure that the interval between taking the drug is at least 4 hours. The specialist will help to recalculate the dosage of the drug in accordance with the body weight of the child, because manufacturers recommend not to exceed the norm of 60 mg of the active component per 1 kilogram of patient’s body weight for 1 day. It is best to give the child a syrup or suspension 2-3 hours after eating, then the active component works more efficiently and faster.
The tablet form of paracetamol, which is familiar to adult patients, contains 500 mg of the active ingredient in its composition, although in pharmacies you can buy medicine and in a dosage of 250 or 120 mg for children. Tablets are taken 1 or 2 pieces per reception, avoiding exceeding the dose of 4 grams of active substance per day for an adult patient. The tablet can be crushed into powder or divided in half according to the existing risk.
It should be remembered that paracetamol is a one-time drug, it is not worth taking it in a course. Pain is a sign of certain health problems, it requires a visit to a doctor and adequate diagnosis, because taking painkillers for a long time, you can miss the opportunity of quality therapy and getting rid of the disease.
Application features
Paracetamol as an anesthetic medicine has been popular for decades. It is considered quite harmless, but in fact, taking this drug without consulting a specialist is not worth it. The drug in some cases is recommended for use by children from 3 months, although it is extremely rare that it can be prescribed to a monthly baby. There are no restrictions for use by pregnant and lactating women once and at the recommended doses, although the substance penetrates the blood-brain barrier. The use of paracetamol cannot be combined with the intake of alcoholic beverages, as this dramatically increases its hepatotoxic effect.
Are there any contraindications?
Paracetamol as an anesthetic for pain in the joints, headache or menstrual pain is used very often, because he considers it a medicine in a home medicine cabinet. But the use of the drug should be recommended by a doctor. After all, like all other medicines, paracetamol has its contraindications:
- alcoholism;
- severe anemia;
- hypersensitivity to any components of a particular dosage form;
- congenital hyperbilirubinemia;
- deficiency of the G6PD enzyme involved in the work of cells;
- blood diseases;
- progressive kidney disease;
- gastrointestinal bleeding;
- leukopenia;
- pathologies of the liver and kidneys in severe forms;
- a combination of bronchial asthma, recurrent polyposis of the nose and paranasal sinuses and intolerance to acetylsalicylic acid or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- erosive and ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract and duodenum.
The drug should not be taken by those who have recently undergone coronary artery bypass grafting. Also, it should not be taken by people with confirmed hyperkalemia. Paracetamol is not prescribed for newborn babies up to 1 month old.
The opinion of specialists about the drug
The drug "Paracetamol" as an anesthetic and antipyretic has been used in medical practice for several decades. And this speaks for itself - experts consider it effective in solving the problem of pain of weak and moderate intensity, as well as lowering body temperature in some diseases.
Doctors recommend taking the drug only in the specified dosage, without violating the duration of use and taking into account the existing contraindications for each patient. The hepatotoxic effect of paracetamol makes it necessary to take into account the patient’s history, the presence of liver and kidney diseases, and also forces you to abandon the use of alcohol while taking paracetamol.
Specialists prescribe this drug in a specific dosage form for each age group, because the pharmaceutical industry produces several types of medicines that take into account the characteristics of the body or the health status of many patients.
Patient Reviews
Many buyers in pharmacies ask if Paracetamol can be taken as an anesthetic in certain situations, and reviews of ordinary people say that this drug is effective enough to relieve toothache, muscle pain, headache or menstrual distress. According to many patients, paracetamol is a good remedy for the elimination of catarrhal fever in children and adults. Many note a wide selection of the dosage form of the drugs under the studied name in order to take into account the patient's age characteristics. In addition, the drug is sold in pharmacies without a prescription from a doctor, and its price makes the medicine available to all segments of the population.
How to buy and store medicine?
One of the sought-after medicines in a first-aid kit is paracetamol. An anesthetic helps to cope with many types of pain. You can buy it at any pharmacy on demand, without presenting a prescription from the doctor to the pharmacist. The drug is available at its cost. So, 20 tablets in 500 mg cost less than 20 rubles. Suspension or syrup can be purchased at a price of 65 rubles per 1 bottle, and rectal suppositories are sold at 40-50 rubles per package in 10 pieces. Store drugs at room temperature, avoiding exposure to sunlight.
Paracetamol has been used for many years as an anesthetic. It effectively eliminates pain, lowers body temperature. But it should be remembered that these are only symptoms of the disease, which the drug eliminates. Paracetamol does not cure the disease itself. This means that the symptoms will recur and intensify if you do not seek qualified medical help. It is hazardous to health.