It’s surprising to discover that the majority of capsules and tablets usually contain just one of the following types of pain and fever-relieving ingredients:
These analgesics may be combined with other ingredients, such as caffeine which can increase the pain relieving effects of paracetamol. Sometimes, paracetamol and NSAIDs are combined with cold and flu ingredients, which help to ease symptoms such as congestion and a runny nose. It’s important, however, to know that paracetamol and NSAIDs work in different ways to relieve pain.
Both paracetamol and NSAIDs are effective when it comes to relieving mild-to-moderate pain. But, although they both relieve pain, they work in different ways.
Paracetamol is believed to act primarily in the brain and seems to have an effect on many different ways we feel pain. For example, paracetamol inhibits the production of pain and inflammation-causing chemicals called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are found throughout the body, but paracetamol mainly works on those in the brain. Because of this, not only can it effectively relieve pain and fever, but it also has few side effects when taken at recommended doses.
Because paracetamol and NSAIDs work differently to relieve pain, this leads to other important differences between these types of analgesic. For example, they can cause different side effects, interact with different medications (which can change the way medication works) and may not be suitable for use by everyone. That’s why it’s important to always read the medication label, to make sure a pain reliever is suitable. To find out more, read the article Choosing the Appropriate Over-the-Counter Pain Reliever.