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Despite its widespread use for over 100 years, we still don't fully understand how paracetamol works to relieve pain and reduce fever. However, it is now thought that it works by reducing the production of prostaglandins in the brain and spinal cord.
Prostaglandins are produced by the body in response to injury and certain diseases. One of their actions is to sensitise nerve endings, so that when the injury is stimulated it causes pain (presumably to prevent us from causing further harm to the area). As paracetamol reduces the production of these nerve sensitising prostaglandins it is thought it may increase our pain threshold, so that although the injury remains, we can feel it less.
It is thought paracetamol reduces fever by affecting an area of the brain that regulates our body temperature (the hypothalamic heat-regulating center).
Paracetamol is about as effective as aspirin at relieving mild to moderate pain and reducing fever, but unlike aspirin it has no anti-inflammatory effect.
Paracetamol can be used to relieve mild to moderate pain associated with conditions such as headaches, toothache, teething, colds and flu. It is also useful for reducing fever and discomfort associated with colds and flu and following vaccinations.
Infadrops contain children's doses of paracetamol.
What is it used for?
Warning!
Use with caution in
Not to be used in
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Label warnings
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
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