Cure-all no more

• Autores: Tiffany O´Callaghan
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2971, 2014, págs. 34-37
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • O'Callaghan finds whether the world's favorite over-the-counter pain remedy, paracetamol, has a dark side. Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is the cure-all of people's age, used to treat everything from sprained ankles to toothaches and even labor pain. It is on the first rung of the World Health Organization's "analgesic ladder," which doctors use to treat cancer pain. Paracetamol, on the other hand, people think of as relatively safe. Sure, if they take lots of tablets it could seriously damage their liver, but at the recommended doses it's fine. This assumption is now being challenged by research suggesting that, when taken for prolonged period, it may damage the stomach as much as NSAIDs. That might be an acceptable risk in exchange for pain relief, but in many of those who take it, paracetamol barely works better than a placebo.