Ibuprofen, or Motrin, contains an anti-inflammatory agent, which paracetamol does not. Ibuprofen is better as a pain reliever when a there is muscular pain due to injury or inflammation- such as a strain, sprain, or arthritis. It has a certain amount of anti-pyretic qualities, which also make it useful for controlling fevers. Paracetamol, acetominaphen and Tylenol are all the same drug. They are excellent for non-aspirn control of fevers, and have some pain relieving qualities as well. They do not have any effect on inflammation or inflammatory processes though. For the garden variety headache, either would be effective. For fever control, they can be taken alternately to provide constant fever supression so long as each drug is taken alternately every 2 hours, so that the individual doses remain four hours apart. They are both proven safe to use with children, with both drugs having child appropriate dosages available in liquid and tablet form. One needs to be more cautious of overdose potential with paracetemol than ibuprofen, though it is possible to overdose with either drug. Taken as directed this in not usually a problem.
A general guide for deciding which to take is to determine if the pain involves muscles or injury to muscles. Ibuprofen is more effective at relieving headaches due to tension, than paracetamol, for cramps, strains and sprains, and back or joint pain, since more often than not inflammation is involved. If the problem is strictly fever, or if the pain is not due to muscles, then paracetamol can be equally effective. Large doses of either should be taken with food or milk to help prevent gastric upsets. And both can be taken in conjunction with one another without worrying about a drug interaction. In fact, paracetimol and ibuprofen are used with opiates like codeine to manage severe pain because they will allow less codeine to be needed. Tylenol #3 is the most familiar use of this combination- paracetamol and codeine are quite common after surgery and dental extractions.
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Location:Sheffield,United Kingdom
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