Acetaminophen Still Best Choice for Mild-to-Moderate Pain Relief

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) of Australia released advice to doctors based on new research showing the benefits of acetaminophen (a.k.a. paracetamol) over other medications for minor pain relief. Professor Milton Cohen, from Sydney's St Vincents Clinical School, explain in a news release submitted in August 2006 that recent research has confirmed that acetaminophen had very few side effects and was the best choice for mild-to-moderate pain relief, especially in cases of osteoarthritic pain.

Acetaminophen (most popularly known under the brand name Tylenol in the US) is a common analgesic and antipyretic drug that is often used for relieving fevers, headaches, and other minor aches and pains. It belongs to a class of "old-fashioned drugs" that recent studies has shown to be better suited for people with persistent pain and had a better safety profile than many newer painkillers.

One study that served as basis for this conclusion was 2-year study involving 66 patients with osteoarthritis. Williams et al noted a higher withdrawal rate due to side effects in the naproxen group than in the acetaminophen group, and slightly less efficacy in the acetaminophen group. Although it was found that acetaminophen is on average less effective in pain reduction compared with NSAIDs, the difference in efficacy is small and a substantial proportion of patients can be treated satisfactorily and safely with acetaminophen alone.

Some of the newer analgesics have been shown to have harmful reactions in people with stomach and heart problems as well as interactions with other drugs, so professional advice is recommended for safety as well as pain relief. Although acetaminophen does possess some risk of interaction, especially when taken with alcohol and other substances that put strain on the liver, this research points to acetaminophen being the safest choice.

Article References
Paracetamol should be first-line therapy in osteoarthritis, site accessed on 8/15/06

Paracetamol best for mild pain: study, site accessed on 08/15/06