4 ms·

None of the people I know even take aspirin as a painkiller. Blood thinners seem like a strange first choice.

coldtea 5y ago
Perhaps the people you know is the outlier group? Aspirin is one of the most common painkillers in use globally. Wikipedia: "Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a medication used to reduce pain, fever, or inflammation"
- geewee 5y ago
  Aspirin is extremely hard to get in Denmark for example, as it's seen as inferior to Paracetamol
  - hnra 5y ago
    Is Treo not sold in Denmark? It's very popular in Sweden, but I'm guessing not as popular as ibuprofen or paracetamol.
    - Quekid5 5y ago
      Correct, it is. (OTC) Not sure what the other poster means by 'extremely hard to get'. Ask for it at the counter at any pharmacy and there you go. Maybe they're referring to it not being available at the counter in supermarkets? (Whereas paracetamol is.)
      - geewee 5y ago
        Yes that is what I was referring to, and anecdotally I haven't seen anyone actually have a Treo in their home for.. well years.
        Quekid5 5y ago
        Fair enough. I'm in the unfortunate situation that Acetylsalicylsalicylic acid (wow, that's a mouthful!) is the only thing that really work for my headaches... so I might be counter-biased wrt. your experience. It's just that I perhaps seek it out by default and it's not difficult to obtain from that perspective. (Though you always have to listen to the lecture...)
  - cromulent 5y ago
    That's strange. Acetylsalicylic acid is on the WHO's list of essential medicines and they show it as being available in Denmark. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/general-availability-of-aspirin-(100-mg)-in-the-public-health-sector https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-detai...
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- mrpopo 5y ago
  Aspirin works as a painkiller, but it is not appropriate for regular ingestion as self-medication if you don't know what you're doing. It can be used sparsely for relieving pain+fever or pain+inflammation (IF the inflammation actually needs to be treated). Paracetamol is a much safer option with almost no side effects, as long as you stick to the daily limits. Plugging in this video (in french) from a doctor about various painkillers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCg6if1KZvQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCg6if1KZvQ
  - bencollier49 5y ago
    Paracetamol is an endocrine disruptor. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00553-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00553-7
  - bregma 5y ago
    Paracetamol is pretty much useless for inflammation. It's pretty facile to dismiss osteoarthritis when you're young but if your work with your hands (like a software developer does) it's a serious blockage to productivity.
    - mrpopo 5y ago
      In which case you should have a check-up with your doctor and not self-medicate with aspirin. Maybe the doctor will prescribe you aspirin, who knows.
  - coldtea 5y ago
    >Aspirin works as a painkiller, but it is not appropriate for regular ingestion as self-medication if you don't know what you're doing. It might or might not be safe, but the parent claim was that nobody they know uses it as a painkiller, and that thus it's a "strange choice" if someone does, when it's (a) very common worldwide, (b) described as such in every medical website or source.
bregma 5y ago
Acting as an anti-coagulat is a recently-recognized minor side effect of a medicine that's been a recognized analgesic and anti-inflammatory for millennia. If you're still a kid ASA is not recommended as an anti-fever medication because of the risk of Reye's syndrome. Perhaps that's why no one you know uses it. Perhaps it's because the patent on it expired a century ago (a result of war reparations, no less) and drug companies find it more lucrative to push their alternatives.
- vultour 5y ago
  Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are sold as generic medicines, so I really don't think being lucrative is the reason. I had a quick look through some pain relief pages on the UK's NHS website, and every time a drug is referenced by name it's either paracetamol or ibuprofen. I've first seen people randomly using aspirin on US television shows, so perhaps it's just less common elsewhere.

Perhaps the people you know is the outlier group? Aspirin is one of the most common painkillers in use globally. Wikipedia: "Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a medication used to reduce pain, fever, or inflammation"

geewee 5y ago
Aspirin is extremely hard to get in Denmark for example, as it's seen as inferior to Paracetamol
- hnra 5y ago
  Is Treo not sold in Denmark? It's very popular in Sweden, but I'm guessing not as popular as ibuprofen or paracetamol.
  - Quekid5 5y ago
    Correct, it is. (OTC) Not sure what the other poster means by 'extremely hard to get'. Ask for it at the counter at any pharmacy and there you go. Maybe they're referring to it not being available at the counter in supermarkets? (Whereas paracetamol is.)
    - geewee 5y ago
      Yes that is what I was referring to, and anecdotally I haven't seen anyone actually have a Treo in their home for.. well years.
      - Quekid5 5y ago
        Fair enough. I'm in the unfortunate situation that Acetylsalicylsalicylic acid (wow, that's a mouthful!) is the only thing that really work for my headaches... so I might be counter-biased wrt. your experience. It's just that I perhaps seek it out by default and it's not difficult to obtain from that perspective. (Though you always have to listen to the lecture...)
- cromulent 5y ago
  That's strange. Acetylsalicylic acid is on the WHO's list of essential medicines and they show it as being available in Denmark. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/general-availability-of-aspirin-(100-mg)-in-the-public-health-sector https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-detai...
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
mrpopo 5y ago
Aspirin works as a painkiller, but it is not appropriate for regular ingestion as self-medication if you don't know what you're doing. It can be used sparsely for relieving pain+fever or pain+inflammation (IF the inflammation actually needs to be treated). Paracetamol is a much safer option with almost no side effects, as long as you stick to the daily limits. Plugging in this video (in french) from a doctor about various painkillers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCg6if1KZvQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCg6if1KZvQ
- bencollier49 5y ago
  Paracetamol is an endocrine disruptor. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00553-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00553-7
- bregma 5y ago
  Paracetamol is pretty much useless for inflammation. It's pretty facile to dismiss osteoarthritis when you're young but if your work with your hands (like a software developer does) it's a serious blockage to productivity.
  - mrpopo 5y ago
    In which case you should have a check-up with your doctor and not self-medicate with aspirin. Maybe the doctor will prescribe you aspirin, who knows.
- coldtea 5y ago
  >Aspirin works as a painkiller, but it is not appropriate for regular ingestion as self-medication if you don't know what you're doing. It might or might not be safe, but the parent claim was that nobody they know uses it as a painkiller, and that thus it's a "strange choice" if someone does, when it's (a) very common worldwide, (b) described as such in every medical website or source.

bregma 5y ago

Acting as an anti-coagulat is a recently-recognized minor side effect of a medicine that's been a recognized analgesic and anti-inflammatory for millennia. If you're still a kid ASA is not recommended as an anti-fever medication because of the risk of Reye's syndrome. Perhaps that's why no one you know uses it. Perhaps it's because the patent on it expired a century ago (a result of war reparations, no less) and drug companies find it more lucrative to push their alternatives.

vultour 5y ago
Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are sold as generic medicines, so I really don't think being lucrative is the reason. I had a quick look through some pain relief pages on the UK's NHS website, and every time a drug is referenced by name it's either paracetamol or ibuprofen. I've first seen people randomly using aspirin on US television shows, so perhaps it's just less common elsewhere.