Pain Management: All You have to Know

Pain Management
Graph to show mean pain scores (mm) versus time (mins) for patients after treatment with placebo, solid paracetamol 1,000 mg and soluble aspirin 900 mg.

We all ask this question quite frequently. You have a headache, you took an aspirin and pain is not relieved. How do you decide what to do next? We have written this post to address this question in great detail.

Patients generally prefer paracetamol to aspirin as it is a more effective pain killer. But when there is swelling, inflammation; aspirin is the best course of action. A recent study in effectiveness of paracetamol versus aspirin as painkiller shows that paracetamol is a more effective painkiller than aspirin.

Main Caution:

The one point to always remember is that aspirin is strongly discouraged if the patient has any kinds of stomach related issues. If you have stomach aches, ulcers or stomach cramps, avoid taking Aspirin and only take paracetamol. This knowledge is not as readily available as it should be, so we put this front and center.

Aspirin- Best Suited for:

Yes, if you have taken a strong dose of paracetamol and want to avoid overdosing, a good alternative will be aspirin. The main property of aspirin is to thin the bloodstream, which makes aspirin effective in reducing stress-induced headaches, migraines and all headaches in general. The effects of aspirin are also focused on reducing swelling in any parts of the human body and reducing blood pressure.

Paracetamol- Best Suited for:

Paracetamol simply blocks the passageway to pain stimulators in the brain. It works best with fever and muscular pains because the medication temporarily blocks the reception of pain in the brain. The process is temporary and the reduced reception of pain receptors wears off from three to twelve hours depending on the intensity of pain.

Is it ok to take Paracetamol and aspirin together?

Even though both Aspirin and paracetamol work to relieve pain, they are curative in completely different ways. Aspirin is an NSAID that works to inhibit the activity of cyclooxygenase enzymes that are responsible for pain reception among various other functions. Paracetamol works with inhibiting the brain’s ability to receive pain receptors. Taking these two medications together is not overdosing on the same base chemical; instead, the process is more like coming at the same problem from two different angles.

Dosage:

It should be stated clearly that even though these two medications do not have adverse reactions, they should still be taken in limited doses. A strong dosage of both paracetamol and aspirin such as two tablets of paracetamol taken together along with aspirin will be hard on the patient’s liver. Paracetamol is heavy on the stomach and the liver to begin with and aspirin along with the previous medication will be too strong. Noted that the best turmeric cbd oils can help you to beautify your body and skin. 

We hope our post was helpful in answering some basic queries on the matter. Keep in touch for more interesting posts!

Name of Author: Darakhshan Roohi

Author Bio:

Darakhshan Roohi is a freelance content writer from Pakistan who is passionate about writing, digital marketing and making her mark on the world. She presently lives in Karachi, Pakistan and works as a  freelance writer and content writer an avid binge-watcher and a strong critic of the global diaspora, she is available for chat on [email protected].