Acetaminophen is one part of a class of pain medications called nonopioid analgesics, used for minor to moderate pain. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic used for treating pain and fever. Acetaminophen is one of the most frequently used analgesics to treat acute and chronic pain. Acetaminophen is indicated for only the temporary management of pain and fever. [Sources: 3, 7, 9, 14]
Acetaminophen is more often used for the treatment of minor pains and irritations, including headaches, backaches, mild pain from arthritis, toothaches, muscle pains, premenstrual cramps, and menstrual cramps. What that means for you is acetaminophen is excellent at treating headaches, fevers, and minor aches and pains, but it does not lessen inflammation from, say, a strained muscle. As you might have guessed from the description above, acetaminophen is best used for fevers, aches, and pains, but it is not going to be much help if your pain is caused by inflammation. [Sources: 5, 11, 13]
Acetaminophen will ease pain and lower fever, but will not work for inflammation-induced pain. Known as acetaminophen, or, if you are abroad, paracetamol, the stuff is a quick, easy way to ease pain and lower fever. [Sources: 1, 4]
When used responsibly, both ibuprofen and acetaminophen are safe choices to turn down the dial on fever and pain. In a review, ibuprofen was found to be as good as, or better than, acetaminophen at treating pain and fever in adults and children. In one study, ibuprofen was found to be more effective than acetaminophen in treating pain caused by recurring migraines and osteoarthritis. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can vary in efficacy in treating fevers and various types of pain. [Sources: 3, 12]
Different types of medications to relieve pain, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen, can have different effects. If you ever have surgery or another medical problem that causes lots of pain, your doctor can prescribe a painkiller that is stronger than acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Acetaminophen is available over-the-counter, but your doctor may prescribe it for some conditions. [Sources: 0, 6, 8]
Consumers should never take more than their prescribed dosage of any drug containing acetaminophen, according to the Food and Drug Administration, and they should avoid taking more than one product of acetaminophen at a time. Some products intended for adults and older children may contain too much acetaminophen for young children. Children may be given acetaminophen to help them cope with pain or a fever, but parents should carefully read medication labels to avoid dose errors. [Sources: 7, 8]
Both acetaminophen (such as Tylenol(r)) and ibuprofen (Advil(r) or Motrin(r)) are used to treat fevers and pain. While the only active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen, hundreds of other medications contain acetaminophen. Many people are aware of acetaminophen being an active ingredient in Tylenol, but it is also found in several other OTC medications, including (but not limited to) certain products from Excedrin, Robitussin, and Sudafed. It has off-label uses as well, such as arthritis, migraines, and dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation). [Sources: 3, 7, 10, 12]
Acetaminophen, however, is different from the other nonopioids because it does not block the peripheral nervous systems COX to any significant degree. Scientists think acetaminophen works mostly in the central nervous system, attacking a slightly different form of the enzyme known as cyclooxygenase called COX-3. [Sources: 5, 7]
COX helps the body make lipid compounds called prostaglandins, which trigger pain and inflammation when your cells are injured. Acetaminophen blocks the enzyme that sends out chemicals called prostaglandins, which are what cause pain in our bodies. Instead, acetaminophen works by blocking the release of substances in the brain that make you feel pain. [Sources: 0, 1, 7]
As over-the-counter painkillers, both acetaminophen and NSAIDs may treat symptoms like headaches and other mild aches and pains. Some people feel that acetaminophen works best for them, while others feel that ibuprofen works best to ease a headache. While acetaminophen and ibuprofen both ease pain, each work differently–and for different types of pain. [Sources: 3, 4, 10]
Unlike acetaminophen, ibuprofen is a nonselective COX enzyme inhibitor, which may reduce the pain and inflammation that comes with arthritis and joint pain. Ibuprofen may help relieve inflammation as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), while acetaminophen is not classified as an anti-inflammatory medication. [Sources: 3]
Acetaminophen is not an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug), which is another major type of painkiller. Another advantage of acetaminophen is that Acetaminophen does not make your stomach sick or your heart trouble – two possible risks of other main types of over-the-counter pain relievers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Although it has been discussed alongside NSAIDs for its pharmacological mechanisms, Acetaminophen isn’t considered to be an NSAID, nor is it suitable to treat pain conditions caused by inflammation. [Sources: 2, 9, 11]
Our group’s data further supports the mechanism through which acetaminophen can also produce analgesia in inflammatory pain conditions. This review aims to summarize previous and novel questions regarding its mechanism of analgesia and discuss our understanding that N-acylphenolamine (AM404) also acts upon spinal dorsal horns and induces analgesia in inflammatory pain conditions. Our group believes that our novel mechanism for analgesia by acetaminophen will promote the development of novel methods of clinical pain treatment using acetaminophen. [Sources: 9]
Clinicians may be able to administer Acetaminophen (APAP) to their patients either as a single agent to treat mild to moderate pain or combined with opioid analgesics to treat serious pain. Acetaminophen is also used with opioids in prescription pain medications, such as Percocet, Vicodin, and Tylenol with Codeine. Acetaminophen (acetaminophen coupons) — also known by its brand name, Tylenol — is an analgesic (painkiller) and antipyretic (fever-reducing) drug. [Sources: 3, 7, 14]
Another study concluded a similar finding, finding that the analgesic paracetamol (another name for acetaminophen) had better pain relief and tolerance than acetaminophen for osteoarthritis. The analgesic effects produced by acetaminophen metabolite AM404 were stronger than in non-acetaminophen rats (Ohashi et al., 2017). We further showed that acetaminophen metabolite AM404 induced analgesia through the TRPV1 receptors in spinal dorsal horns in inflammatory pain rats and that these analgesic effects were stronger in this model compared to those of naive rats. [Sources: 3, 9]
Sources:
[0]: https://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/is-tylenol-anti-inflammatory
[1]: https://www.britannica.com/video/187090/theories-Tylenol-pain
[2]: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/pain-relievers-acetaminophen
[3]: https://www.singlecare.com/blog/ibuprofen-vs-tylenol/
[4]: https://www.summitortho.com/2016/01/14/the-lowdown-on-acetaminophen-and-ibuprofen/
[5]: https://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2008/04/professor/01/
[7]: https://www.cnn.com/2014/01/16/health/acetaminophen-five-facts/index.html
[8]: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a681004.html
[9]: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.580289/full
[10]: https://www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=915d8982-a92e-411e-b5dc-c40e0f43f352
[11]: https://www.tylenol.com/safety-dosing/usage/what-is-acetaminophen
[12]: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/acetaminophen-vs-ibuprofen-which-works-better/
[13]: https://www.mercycare.org/healthy-living/health-education/tylenol–advil–when-to-use-which/
