Panadol (Paracetamol/Acetominophen and Caffeine) Addiction/Dependancy?

[Lethler]

Yes, I know, Panadol may seem somewhat of an...unusual subject. I'm pretty confident that it belongs here (forum-wise), considering my questions are in regards to the fesiability and possiblity of an addiction or dependancy upon Panadol. For the sake of easiness in reading, I'll refer to the person in question as 'Mr. A'.

Mr.A has, for the past two or three years, suffered from migraine. Originally, he lived in an unpleasant state in which he was in pain virtually every waking moment - usually minor, but it would flare up to become intolerable once a week. He began by taking normal paracetamol, before moving onto Panadol Extra. He relied on the Panadol, using it anywhere from three to six times per week. Eventually, he was placed on a preventative medication that virtually stopped his attacks. As a result of this, he stopped taking Panadol.

Not too long after he stopped however, Mr. A began to take Panadol Extra again - but this time he didn't have any pain. He explained to his friends and girlfriend that "I [,Mr.A,] take them to take my mind off things and to help him get through the day." At first, everyone assumed he was taking them for the caffeine content (which he himself claimed), because during the day he had no way of getting any and he was a self-admitted addict to it. However, when he later had access to caffeinated products and was using them when he previously couldn't, he continued to take Panadol Extra - this time he had no reason whatsoever. No pain, no caffeine withdrawal. He admitted to himself that he shouldn't, but denied he had a problem, saying that "I can't be addicted or dependant, it's just habbit to take them now."

To prove this, he did stop. He went four weeks without touching them, but recently, Mr. A started again for no apparent reason. He admitted to himself that during those four weeks he "had a constant urge and desire to take some". He continued to deny an addiction or dependancy, but asked some of his friends to help him find out more. They scoured the internet for a month, and found that in general everything was balanced - half of the findings said addiction to Panadol (or anything at all) is possible, the other half said that it is entirely impossible. He did however admit that he felt guilty for doing it. He also said that, when he had stopped using, he felt exhausted all the time and suffered from terrible insomnia. He also experienced periodic suicidal depression, usually meaning he felt overwhelmingly depressed every few days (to the point where he wanted to kill himself). Alongside this, he was also irritable.

For the sake of arguement, I utilised the Addiction Calculator to factor in how Mr. A feels. His results claimed that "Both substance abuse and dependence are very likely". He still denies he is either an addict or dependant on Panadol, deciding to side with the half who claim it is non-addictive.

So, here comes my question: which side is correct? Is Panadol utterly unaddictive, and is it just a bad habbit Mr. A has developed?

Or is the other side correct? Is Panadol addictive and, if so, could it be Mr. A is dependant or addicted (either physically or pyscologically) to Panadol Extra? If he is, how severe do you think it is - does he require professional help, or a self-help group etc?

Your thoughts on the matter would be most appreciated.

[Pondlife]

For those not in the UK, panadol extra are OTC and each tablet contains 500mg paracetamol (acetaminophen) and 65mg caffeine.

I'm not aware of any addictive potential for paracetamol, so perhaps its the caffeine. You could try pro plus instead as these are cheap and widely available and contain 50mg caffeine each - that way you'd at least avoid the needless paracetamol intake.

However, there is more to addiction than just physical addiction - it could be a psychological addiction that's got nothing to do with the active ingredient.