✅ Prescription / Indication:
Paracetamol 500 mg tablets are commonly used for:
- Mild to moderate pain relief (e.g., headache, toothache, backache, muscle aches, joint pain)
- Fever reduction (antipyretic effect)
- Pain due to cold and flu symptoms
- Post-vaccination fever or discomfort
- Osteoarthritis, when NSAIDs are not suitable
🟢 Available without a prescription (OTC) in most countries.
📄 Description:
- Generic Name: Paracetamol (also called Acetaminophen)
- Form: Oral tablet
- Strength: 500 mg per tablet
- Appearance: Often white, round or oval, sometimes scored
- Class: Analgesic and antipyretic
- Mechanism: Acts on the hypothalamic heat-regulating center to reduce fever; modulates pain signals in the brain
🌟 Advantages:
- Fast-acting (usually within 30–60 minutes)
- Safe for all age groups (when used correctly)
- Suitable for people with gastric ulcers, NSAID intolerance, or asthma
- Fewer gastrointestinal side effects than NSAIDs
- Can be safely used in pregnancy (with medical guidance)
🔬 Nature:
- Drug type: Non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic
- Does not reduce inflammation (unlike NSAIDs)
- Works centrally (in the brain), not peripherally (like NSAIDs)
- Often combined with other medicines (e.g., caffeine, ibuprofen, codeine)
📦 Common Package:
- Blister packs or bottles
- Common pack sizes: 10, 15, 20, or 100 tablets
- Labeled with dosage instructions, expiry, and batch number
- Sometimes sold as single strip of 10 tablets
🧊 Storage Conditions:
- Store at room temperature: 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F)
- Keep in dry, cool place, away from moisture
- Keep out of reach of children
- Use before the expiry date
👨⚕️ Patient Advice / Precautions:
✅ Do:
- Follow the dose instructions exactly:
- Adults: Usually 500–1000 mg every 4–6 hours as needed
- Do not exceed 4000 mg/day
- Drink a full glass of water with each dose
- Safe to use short-term for pain or fever
❌ Avoid:
- Taking with alcohol (risk of liver damage)
- Exceeding the maximum daily dose
- Taking with other medicines that contain paracetamol (to avoid accidental overdose)
- Use in patients with severe liver disease unless advised by a doctor