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Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

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Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#401

Post by pikminguy »

theptip wrote: post #387
pikminguy wrote: post #336

Something I'm surprised this article didn't mention is that sometimes the anti-inflammatory is the point. If you have swelling along with the pain then ibuprofen or any other NSAID is going to be much more effective. That would be the main reason to go with ibuprofen in my opinion. But again if you take medical advice from an internet comment you're already doing it wrong.

> if I needed a painkiller, I’d try to take ibuprofen rather than acetaminophen. My logic was that if eight grams of acetaminophen could kill my liver, then one gram was probably still hard on it. This article is explicitly considering usage as painkiller. You can’t use Tylenol as an anti-inflammatory so it’s meaningless to compare them for that distinction usage.

If you need a painkiller it's worth considering the source of pain you are trying to kill. This is an article with a chart considering 11 different situations you might be in and which pill is better for each. A 12th line for "there is also some swelling in the part of you that hurts" would make sense to me.

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#402

Post by mattkrause »

vanderZwan wrote: post #250
vanderZwan wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like this is one of those things where Europe and the US are very different, culturally speaking - I've lived in the Netherlands, Germany and now Sweden, and the amount of painkillers used and prescribed here seems much lower than what Americans tell me is normal in the US. Pain a warning signal from the body. It's something one should listen to, not just try to ignore and overrule. If I sprain my ankle it onl…

> That's also healthier in the long run, no? Long-winding tangential anecdote (which is why I'm replying to myself in a separate comment), but I have pretty extreme example of this: I managed to avoid nearly all suffering after getting a tonsillectomy in my mid-thirties, while using almost no painkillers. My ENT surgeons warned that me "I'd hate him for about a month, then I'd love him for never having to deal with […

You rediscovered normal saline!

The plain water hurts because it's causing cells to swell or even burst as water rushes into them to equalize the osmotic pressure. Adding a little bit of salt to that helps remove that pressure because the environment inside and outside of the cells are both equally salt.

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#403

Post by chermi »

kazinator wrote: post #20

You don't want either of these; what you want is naproxen. It works similarly, but stays a lot longer (half life is cited as being anywhere from 12 to 17 hours). Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are just for temporary problems, like a headache that would go away on its own in a couple of hours. They are uneconomic and inconvenient if you have something more persistent to keep at bay. Four ibuprofens or one naproxen? No br…

No. There is no one solution. For some things Naproxen simply doesn't work.

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#404

Post by magicalist »

kryogen1c wrote: post #304
vanderZwan wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like this is one of those things where Europe and the US are very different, culturally speaking - I've lived in the Netherlands, Germany and now Sweden, and the amount of painkillers used and prescribed here seems much lower than what Americans tell me is normal in the US. Pain a warning signal from the body. It's something one should listen to, not just try to ignore and overrule. If I sprain my ankle it onl…

>Pain a warning signal from the body Hard agree, same with fevers. Heat helps kill many diseases, dont blunt your body's defenses. There are exceptions to both rules, but many people forget which part is the exception and which part is the rule.

> Hard agree, same with fevers. Heat helps kill many diseases, dont blunt your body's defenses.

Heat hot enough to kill diseases will have killed you long before. Fevers are really a pretty small temperature rise.

It does appear that fevers are an adaptive defense, but FWIW there's been basically no evidence that not taking medicine to bring down a fever will improve outcomes in practice. OTOH, evidence also shows that typical fevers won't themselves hurt you either, so they don't necessarily have to be treated.

Current medical guidance in kids and (non-pregnant) adults is to treat discomfort, usually the associated muscle aches, body chills, etc, but in general we shouldn't encourage people to suffer for no benefit. The fever isn't cleaning you out.

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#405

Post by Carioca »

One weird analgesic/antipyretic is metamizole/dipyrone[1]. It's banned in the US and some of Western Europe (and prescription-only in other countries). Yet it's by far the most used medication here in Brazil and I have actually never heard of adverse effects, except some allergies

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamizole

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#406

Post by wat10000 »

vanderZwan wrote: post #393
wat10000 wrote: post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If pain is a signal, then it's often a car alarm that won't shut up. Even if someone is actually trying to steal the car, I only need to be told once. Sometimes I get headaches. I don't know why. Maybe there's a cause. I do try things to fix the underlying problem. But it's not instant. While I wait for it, why should I continue to be in pain when the pain medicine is pretty much risk free if I'm not reckless with it…

I feel better avoiding the causes of making me grumpy, I end up feeling less tired at the end of the day.

Of course, but once it happens, why not do what you can to mitigate it?

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#407

Post by vjvjvjvjghv »

criddell wrote: post #307
socalgal2 wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in my body, it tells me acetaminophen does absolutely nothing for pain where as ibuprofen does. I wouldn't take ibuprofen for fever

This might sound like woo, but sometimes I'll find a quiet place and just sit there and focus on the pain. I try to really understand the sensation that's being registered as pain by trying to notice all the properties of it (is it throbbing, burning, etc...). Occasionally I'll find that the more I try to identify specific features of the sensation, the harder it gets to do so and the pain sensation fades away.

I do that too. But at least if you are a meditator on my level, there are limits. I sometimes get migraines and focusing on the pain while you are shivering, sweating and close to throwing up at the same time just doesn’t work for me.

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#408

Post by SirMaster »

I always use acetaminophen as ibuprofen doesn't seem to do anything for me...

I have personally never found a use for ibuprofen that ever made any noticeable impact for me. I have tried it for headaches, fever, muscle pain, nerve pain, etc. It never made a noticeable improvement for any of these while acetaminophen works amazingly for all these. Acetaminophen even works better for me for pain than an opioid like Tramadol...

I don't understand it, but it is what it is.

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#409

Post by sidewndr46 »

mattkrause wrote: post #395
sidewndr46 wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you took carprofen?

I don't think carprofen has been sold for human use in ages! Still available as a veterinary medicine though.

I wasn't sure how old the story or where the OP is. But yes it was pulled from human usage in most countries. I don't fully understand why, although I suspect it is primarily because ibuprofen is effective enough

Re: Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen

#410

Post by huhkerrf »

wincy wrote: post #302
huhkerrf wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since we're talking about acetaminophen and ibuprofen, in France you're liable to end up with a medicine cabinet full of acetaminophen, because almost anytime you go to the doctor with any type of pain, they add it to the prescription.

Interesting, in the US they often do that too but I’ve personally never filled it because insurance doesn’t cover over the counter medications. So I’d have to pay cash for it.

I don't do it in France only because I don't need it. It won't cost me anything otherwise.

(It is worthwhile to note, because Americans don't realize this, but not all medicines that a doctor prescribes for you is free, although the overwhelming majority will be.)

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