Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen (Paracetamol, APAP), is an over the counter pain reliever that also reduces fever. It is commonly used to reduce pain associated with headaches, migraines, back ache, cold, and flu. Overuse of acetaminophen causes serious liver damage. Its general mechanism of action is inhibition of the COX-2 enzyme.

[top]Ways of administration

Oral, rectal

[top]Effects of Acetaminophen

[top]Combinations with Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen is both an effective antipyretic (fever reducer) and analgesic (pain reliever). As such, it is found in combination with many other medications. It is important to note that acetaminophen is frequently referred to by other names. Other terms for acetaminophen are APAP (short for acetyl-para-aminophenol) and paracetamol in the UK and other countries. If the ingredient list contains either of these terms, the medication contains acetaminophen.

Common examples of other medications containing acetaminophen are certain cough syrups and prescription painkillers. Percocet and Vicodin are perhaps the most well-known combination medications, the former containing oxycodone and acetaminophen and the latter containing hydrocodone and acetaminophen.

[top]Different Uses for Acetaminophen

Solubility of acetaminophen in different solvents at several temperatures, given in grams of acetaminophen per kg of solvent:

solvent	at -5°C	at 0°C	at 5°C	at 10°C	at 15°C	at 20° C	at 25°C	at 30°C
water		7.21	8.21	9.44	10.97	12.78	14.9	17.39
methanol	174.48	191.48	215.09	239.6	265.43	297.81	332.11	371.61
ethanol	118.56	129.65	141.82	156.14	171.4	190.61	209.91	232.75
1,2-ethanediol								144.3
1-propanol	65.88	72.3	79.62	88.22	96.77	108.09	119.32	132.77
2-propanol	64.41	71.19	79.02	87.67	97.38	108.78	121.15	135.01
1-butanol	47.55	51.96	57.21	63.31	69.29	77.07	83.27	93.64
1-pentanol								67.82
1-hexanol								49.71
1-heptanol								37.43
1-octanol								27.47
acetone	50.39	55.61	62.32	69.63	78.48	88.09	99.83	111.65
2-butanone								69.99
4-methyl-2-pentanone								17.81
tetrahydrofuran								155.37
1,4-dioxane								17.08
ethyl acetate	4.46	5.27	5.78	6.42	7.37	8.52	9.45	10.73
acetonitrile	9.44	11.18	13.44	15.98	19.34	23.1	27.54	32.83
diethylamine								1316.9
N,N-dimethylformamide								1012.02
dimethyl sulfoxide								1132.56
acetic acid								82.72
dichloromethane								0.32
chloroform								1.54
carbon tetrachloride								0.89
toluene		0.22	0.27	0.32	0.36	0.37	0.37	0.34

source

Acetaminophen when used in combination with alcohol is known to cause severe liver damage.

High doses of acetaminophen are also associated with liver damage.

The maximum amount of acetaminophen to be taken in one dose should not exceed 1,000mg. The maximum amount of acetaminophen to be taken in 24 hours should not exceed 4,000mg. Recently, the FDA lowered the maximum recommended daily dose to 3,000mg in order to combat acetaminophen overdoses taken by various medications containing the ingredient. Single doses should be separated by 4-6 hours.

Single doses or daily amounts over these amounts can lead to severe liver damage or even failure. If you or someone you know has taken an overdose of acetaminophen, prompt medical attention is necessary. Treatment for such overdoses must be given early, and the apparent effects of liver damage or failure may not be present for 24-72 hours. Liver damage/failure can be completely asymptomatic in the early stages.

[top]United Nations

Not scheduled

[top]USA

Unrestricted. OTC

[top]EU

[top]Other Countries

Sitelinks:	Site Functions:
Homepage Wiki Documents Image Gallery Audio Video Forum Blog Groups News	Site Rules Frequently Asked Questions Register to Participate Did you forget your password? All Threads

Acetaminophen

Contents

[top]Introduction to Acetaminophen

[top]Using Acetaminophen

[top]Ways of administration

[top]Effects of Acetaminophen

[top]Combinations with Acetaminophen

[top]Different Uses for Acetaminophen

[top]Pharmacology of Acetaminophen

[top]Chemistry of Acetaminophen

[top]Physical properties of Acetaminophen

[top]The dangers of Acetaminophen

[top]Producing/Growing Acetaminophen

[top]Forms of Acetaminophen

[top]Legal status of Acetaminophen

[top]United Nations

[top]USA

[top]EU

[top]Other Countries

[top]History of Acetaminophen

[top]More Acetaminophen Sections

[top]References

Posting Rules
You may not create new articles You may not edit articles You may not protect articles You may not post comments You may not post attachments You may not edit your comments BB code is On Smilies are On [IMG] code is On HTML code is Off