Paracetamol Classic Centile Effective Pain Relief Age Group: Adult

Paracetamol is a pain reliever and a fever reducer. The exact mechanism of action of is not known. Paracetamol is used to treat many conditions such as headache, muscle aches, arthritis, backache, toothaches, colds, and fevers. It relieves pain in mild arthritis but has no effect on the underlying inflammation and swelling of the joint. Paracetamol may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide. Paracetamol begins to ease pain and lower a high temperature about 30 minutes after a dose is taken. Its effects usually last for about 4 to 6 hours. Paracetamol can provide pain relief, but only for a small number of people. For postoperative pain, perhaps one in four people benefit; for headache perhaps one in ten. This evidence comes from systematic reviews, often of large numbers of good clinical trials.