Aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are the three most common types of non-prescription painkillers used to treat pain, fever, and headache. Which is the most effective? What kind of pain do you take them for? Can we combine them?
Headache, fever, cold, flu-like condition, toothache, aches… The analgesics are among the best-selling drugs in self-medication. However, they are not trivial and some are even downright dangerous at too high a dose or improperly used. Regardless of the drug chosen, the first rule is not to exceed three to five days of treatment. If pain persists, see your doctor.
In 1er choice: paracetamol
the paracetamol (Doliprane, Dafalgan, Efferalgan …) presents the best benefit / risk for pains common (headache, fever, dental pain …), and for a dosage less than 3 g per day, or three 1000 mg tablets spaced every four to six hours. On the other hand, it is toxic to the liver ; at a high dose (greater than 10 g / d), paracetamol is even potentially fatal. In addition, its association withalcohol is strongly discouraged.
2e choice: ibuprofen
Ibuprofen (Antaréne, Advil, Nurofen, Spedifen, etc.) is particularly useful for rheumatic pain, osteoarthritis, tendonitis, low back pain, sciatica, because it has an action anti-inflammatory which does not exist with paracetamol. On the other hand, it is not recommended for dental pain because it can mask a potential infection. The daily dose should not exceed 800 mg per day and the catches should be spaced six hours apart. Ibuprofen does present, however, undesirable effects, in particular intestinal disorders (nausea, heartburn,stomach, even ulcers) and it is not recommended for patients with renal insufficiency and the elderly.
3e choice: aspirin
Commonly used to treat fever or pain,aspirin (Aspégic, Aspro …) is however to be avoided for these indications, according to 60 million consumers. This drug indeed presents significant risks of bleeding even at reduced dosage due to its anticoagulant action. For the same reason, it should not be taken during menstruation and it is not recommended in the event of a cold or viral infection. On the other hand, it turns out to be interesting at low doses in the prevention cardiovascular disorders.
Can we combine aspirin and ibuprofen or paracetamol?
L’aspirin and ibuprofen are both in the class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), they should not be combined to avoid overdose. On the other hand, ibuprofen and paracetamol can be combined for acute pain (alternating every three to four hours), which reinforces their mutual effectiveness and therefore makes it possible to reduce the total dose. However, the maximum thresholds for each must be respected.
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