Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, is a popular drug that relieves headaches and other minor aches and pains, and lowers fever. It is thus an analgesic and an antipyretic. It is used in numerous cold and flu medications and is a major ingredient in many prescription analgesics. It is remarkably safe in standard doses, but because of its wide availability, deliberate or accidental overdose is not uncommon. Unlike other common analgesics such as aspirin and ibuprofen, Acetaminophen has no anti-inflammatory properties, and so it is not a member of the family of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Prior to the creation of acetaminophen, the only antipyretic agent available was cinchona bark, which was also used to create the anti-malaria drug quinine. (more...)
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