5 ms·

It is the safest painkiller currently available. Ibuprofen can cause gut bleeding and renal issues if overdosed on. We all know about opiates. Some facts - typ

It is the safest painkiller currently available. Ibuprofen can cause gut bleeding and renal issues if overdosed on. We all know about opiates. Some facts - typical adult dose is 1g. Max suggested cap on the drug label is 3g per day (about 6 pills at usual 500mg dose). You need to take 10g (20 pills) to be at real risk of hepatotoxicity. So 10 times the typical dose is when you have overdose effects. (basically 20 pills per day vs 2 pills per day). Not your "wildly unsafe at slightly above usage levels" AT ALL (as someone posted on here) This is not harmless - this might cause someone to take more dangerous painkillers when acetaminophen (tylenol) might have safely helped them. The autism stuff is plainly false and disproved.

s5300 1y ago
[dead]
FirmwareBurner 1y ago
I'm sorry but as a non American I can only think about Rehab Officer Tylenol Jones from the Idiocracy movie since that's the first time I heard about Tylenol without knowing it's a drug, and in the movie everyone had well known American brands as their names due to overreach of corporate marketing into society, but that part of the satire went over my head as a European kid back then, thinking Tylenol was just a person's name and not a drug. I wonder if Americans know how much of their society and culture bled incompletely into other countries via movies. Like for example after communism fell the youth here got hooked on American rap and hip-hop so we were using slang from those songs like friends calling each other the N word without knowing the context behind it since that's how black rappers addressed each other and they were rock stars here.
- triyambakam 1y ago
  There's a Rammstein song, „we all live in Amerika, Coca-Cola, wunderbar!”
- KPGv2 1y ago
  >I wonder if Americans know how much of their society and culture bled incompletely into other countries via movies. the unbridled joy when a non american sees a red Solo cup irl for the first time "i thought it was just a thing in movies!!"
- kelnos 1y ago
  > I wonder if Americans know how much of their society and culture bled incompletely into other countries via movies. As with anything, it depends. I'd never heard specifically of your Tylenol example, though I'm generally aware of the idea that (pop-)cultural references often won't be understood when viewed/heard by audiences with different cultural context. But I think many people in the US just don't think about it, because they don't need to and it never occurs to them. If you told them your story, they'd just think "huh, that's funny; makes sense, but I never thought about it that way".
swed420 1y ago
[flagged]
- tim333 1y ago
  I'm not sure "the press manufactured consent for never-ending COVID reinfections" so much as people figured it would become another cold like the other four coronaviruses, regardless of what anyone wants.
  - swed420 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - tim333 1y ago
      It it was like that it would be a US specific thing but basically every country on earth has mostly stopped worrying about COVID.
      - swed420 1y ago
        Agreed, and guess how many countries prior to COVID followed our CDC's lead? The answer is most of them. The fact remains that people are slowly waking up to this and altering their behavior even into 2025, since it's not always too late to do so. You can see this in the steady growth of the /r/ZeroCovidCommunity subreddit.
        tim333 1y ago
        That's kind of interesting - I didn't know the ZeroCovidCommunity existed.
- cosmic_cheese 1y ago
  I feel like I might be stepping on a land mine here, but it’s important to note that even if they don’t prevent transmission, vaccines are important for reducing severity and length of illness and have value as a second line of defense, even for those wearing N95’s in high risk circumstances (such as air travel). Research to develop more effective countermeasures should continue of course, precisely because current vaccines aren’t a full solution. I keep hoping to hear good news about those inhaled vaccines that’ve been in development.
giardini 1y ago
My mom gave me one 325 mg aspirin dissolved in a spoon of water and a little sugar as a tot - it was tasty! I took the typical two 325 mg aspirin for headache thru college and grad school. Years later I had a cracked rib and was prescribed 800 mg ibufprofen twice daily. The rib pain vanished for the duration (and my swim times improved significantly)! I became a convert to Advil. Years later I'm older and minimize my painkillers - most of the time I take nothing but coffee. But if sudden brain pain strikes I take either baby aspirin, ibuprofen, or "Headache Relief", a witches' brew sold by many vendors (typically ~250 mg acetaminophen, 250 mg aspirin and caffeine). So I'm hedging my bets! If I must use something every day then I use baby aspirin (if worried about heart/circulatory issues) or ibuprofen (if worried about pain). When I need to think clearly (most the time) I avoid acetaminophen. IMHO people overestimate the "gut bleeding" risk from NSAIDS.
- _DeadFred_ 1y ago
  Isn't it highly recommended to not give Aspirin to young people because of Reye’s syndrome risks?
  - SoftTalker 1y ago
    For flu/fever it’s not recommended. Of course that’s mostly when you would give kids aspirin. Little kids don’t usually get headaches.
  - closewith 1y ago
    Yes, contraindicated for under-16s everywhere I've worked.
johnisgood 1y ago
> We all know about opiates No, I do not think we do, because it causes none of the side-effects associated with NSAIDs, and it is even safer than acetaminophen, i.e. there is no risk of hepatotoxicity whatsoever. The only side-effect is euphoria. Please do not mention respiratory depression here, that is a non-issue, it matters as so much as liver failure matters with acetaminophen overdoses. Opiates are safer than any painkillers currently in existence, the problem is with impure products (i.e. not from the pharmacy), and people misusing / abusing them. They might as well abuse NSAIDs and acetaminophen, and the result is the same: harm. Taken therapeutically though, it is way safer than any other painkillers. So I am not sure what your intention was with that sentence, because sadly no, people do not realize the therapeutic safety profile. Tramadol is a nasty atypical opioid though, you could have singled that one out. It affects almost all receptors (serotonin, dopamine, etc.) there is, and it is one of the nastiest opioids out there, but that is why it is called an "atypical" opioid. Edit: I missed constipation as a side-effect, see my other comment.
- xeromal 1y ago
  They do cause constipation
  - johnisgood 1y ago
    You are right. It varies a lot though by different opioids and dosage plays a major role, too. Morphine causes more constipation than oxycodone does, for example (not to mention IR vs ER formulations), and in some people morphine causes more sedation and oxycodone might be more stimulant-ish, so they may be opioids / opiates, but they can be significantly different. That said, constipation can indeed be a major issue, especially in the elderly, but they are most likely are already taking or being given laxatives. For adults without any GI problems, they can safely be on a better diet and take magnesium citrate before they want to defecate (if they have no kidney issues either). It takes 4-12 hours for magnesium citrate to work. There is an even better form of magnesium, but magnesium citrate should be fine, along with prunes or prune jam, lots of hydration and so forth. I take opiates for pain, and the way I manage constipation (which is indeed frustrating) is through diet (fibre, prune jam, and so forth) and skipping two days (of the ER formulation) if I have no stool for a few days, along with taking magnesium citrate. I would not recommend taking opiates AND laxatives all the time (or rather, I do not recommend treating OIC with regular consumption of laxatives). Constipation would not be a problem with lower doses and IR formulations though, or much less so. Just FWIW, if you can pass gass, your bowels are not obstructed, and it is a good sign, so if you take opiates, pay attention to that. If you cannot pass gas and you have abdominal pain, then it can easily become a medical emergency. You should not get to this point though, either by taking less, switching to a different formulation (ER -> IR), or switching to a different opioid, along with a better diet. Additionally, if you do not take opioids (especially ER ones) on a regular basis (similarly to how some people only take NSAIDs once in a while), then constipation is not going to be an issue at all. I hope this answers your concerns regarding opioid-induced constipation.
themafia 1y ago
> the safest painkiller currently available Likewise I find it one of the least _effective_ painkillers on the market.
- throwaway2037 1y ago
  What do you prefer?
  - themafia 1y ago
    Given the side effects for the low level of pain that it can handle? Nothing. Narcotic analgesics are a godsend when you actually need them.
paulvnickerson 1y ago
> The autism stuff is plainly false and disproved. If you consider the relevant research you might think differently: https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using-acetaminophen-during-pregnancy-may-increase-childrens-autism-and-adhd-risk/ https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using-acetaminophen-during-pre...
Hikikomori 1y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Engstrom https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Engstrom
manoDev 1y ago
There is a “better” painkiller than both Tylenol and Ibuprofen (Metamizol), but it has been forbidden on the US based on a study attributing strong side-effects to it, despite it being freely available over the counter on multiple countries for decades without issue. If this study is true, it should be easy to compare prevalence of autism on these countries that don’t rely on Tylenol.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- Aloisius 1y ago
  There's far more than one study now linking metamizole to agranulocytosis.
- owenversteeg 1y ago
  It's not just banned in the US; it's also banned in France, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Iran, and Canada among others. It is legal OTC in India, the former USSR, China, Mexico, and most of South and Central America. It is the most popular prescribed pain reliever in Germany and the most popular OTC drug in Brazil. It is popular in Spain as well. Metamizole is actually a very interesting case, to me, as the associated risk is quite strange. It is legal and popular OTC for the majority of the world population; in the countries where it is legal, there are few deaths from the native population. Among tourists who consume it, however, mortality is unusually high. The Spanish health ministry declared in 2018 that it should not be used in the "floating population", including tourists. There may be a genetic component involving Anglo-Saxons. See: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/26/painkiller-banned-in-uk-linked-to-britons-deaths-in-spain https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/26/painkiller-b... Here's a map of its availability: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metamizole_(Dipyrone)_Availability_World_Map.svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metamizole_(Dipyrone...
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

s5300 1y ago

[dead]

FirmwareBurner 1y ago

I'm sorry but as a non American I can only think about Rehab Officer Tylenol Jones from the Idiocracy movie since that's the first time I heard about Tylenol without knowing it's a drug, and in the movie everyone had well known American brands as their names due to overreach of corporate marketing into society, but that part of the satire went over my head as a European kid back then, thinking Tylenol was just a person's name and not a drug. I wonder if Americans know how much of their society and culture bled incompletely into other countries via movies. Like for example after communism fell the youth here got hooked on American rap and hip-hop so we were using slang from those songs like friends calling each other the N word without knowing the context behind it since that's how black rappers addressed each other and they were rock stars here.

triyambakam 1y ago
There's a Rammstein song, „we all live in Amerika, Coca-Cola, wunderbar!”
KPGv2 1y ago
>I wonder if Americans know how much of their society and culture bled incompletely into other countries via movies. the unbridled joy when a non american sees a red Solo cup irl for the first time "i thought it was just a thing in movies!!"
kelnos 1y ago
> I wonder if Americans know how much of their society and culture bled incompletely into other countries via movies. As with anything, it depends. I'd never heard specifically of your Tylenol example, though I'm generally aware of the idea that (pop-)cultural references often won't be understood when viewed/heard by audiences with different cultural context. But I think many people in the US just don't think about it, because they don't need to and it never occurs to them. If you told them your story, they'd just think "huh, that's funny; makes sense, but I never thought about it that way".

swed420 1y ago

[flagged]

tim333 1y ago
I'm not sure "the press manufactured consent for never-ending COVID reinfections" so much as people figured it would become another cold like the other four coronaviruses, regardless of what anyone wants.
- swed420 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - tim333 1y ago
    It it was like that it would be a US specific thing but basically every country on earth has mostly stopped worrying about COVID.
    - swed420 1y ago
      Agreed, and guess how many countries prior to COVID followed our CDC's lead? The answer is most of them. The fact remains that people are slowly waking up to this and altering their behavior even into 2025, since it's not always too late to do so. You can see this in the steady growth of the /r/ZeroCovidCommunity subreddit.
      - tim333 1y ago
        That's kind of interesting - I didn't know the ZeroCovidCommunity existed.
cosmic_cheese 1y ago
I feel like I might be stepping on a land mine here, but it’s important to note that even if they don’t prevent transmission, vaccines are important for reducing severity and length of illness and have value as a second line of defense, even for those wearing N95’s in high risk circumstances (such as air travel). Research to develop more effective countermeasures should continue of course, precisely because current vaccines aren’t a full solution. I keep hoping to hear good news about those inhaled vaccines that’ve been in development.

giardini 1y ago

My mom gave me one 325 mg aspirin dissolved in a spoon of water and a little sugar as a tot - it was tasty! I took the typical two 325 mg aspirin for headache thru college and grad school. Years later I had a cracked rib and was prescribed 800 mg ibufprofen twice daily. The rib pain vanished for the duration (and my swim times improved significantly)! I became a convert to Advil. Years later I'm older and minimize my painkillers - most of the time I take nothing but coffee. But if sudden brain pain strikes I take either baby aspirin, ibuprofen, or "Headache Relief", a witches' brew sold by many vendors (typically ~250 mg acetaminophen, 250 mg aspirin and caffeine). So I'm hedging my bets! If I must use something every day then I use baby aspirin (if worried about heart/circulatory issues) or ibuprofen (if worried about pain). When I need to think clearly (most the time) I avoid acetaminophen. IMHO people overestimate the "gut bleeding" risk from NSAIDS.

_DeadFred_ 1y ago
Isn't it highly recommended to not give Aspirin to young people because of Reye’s syndrome risks?
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  For flu/fever it’s not recommended. Of course that’s mostly when you would give kids aspirin. Little kids don’t usually get headaches.
- closewith 1y ago
  Yes, contraindicated for under-16s everywhere I've worked.

johnisgood 1y ago

> We all know about opiates No, I do not think we do, because it causes none of the side-effects associated with NSAIDs, and it is even safer than acetaminophen, i.e. there is no risk of hepatotoxicity whatsoever. The only side-effect is euphoria. Please do not mention respiratory depression here, that is a non-issue, it matters as so much as liver failure matters with acetaminophen overdoses. Opiates are safer than any painkillers currently in existence, the problem is with impure products (i.e. not from the pharmacy), and people misusing / abusing them. They might as well abuse NSAIDs and acetaminophen, and the result is the same: harm. Taken therapeutically though, it is way safer than any other painkillers. So I am not sure what your intention was with that sentence, because sadly no, people do not realize the therapeutic safety profile. Tramadol is a nasty atypical opioid though, you could have singled that one out. It affects almost all receptors (serotonin, dopamine, etc.) there is, and it is one of the nastiest opioids out there, but that is why it is called an "atypical" opioid. Edit: I missed constipation as a side-effect, see my other comment.

xeromal 1y ago
They do cause constipation
- johnisgood 1y ago
  You are right. It varies a lot though by different opioids and dosage plays a major role, too. Morphine causes more constipation than oxycodone does, for example (not to mention IR vs ER formulations), and in some people morphine causes more sedation and oxycodone might be more stimulant-ish, so they may be opioids / opiates, but they can be significantly different. That said, constipation can indeed be a major issue, especially in the elderly, but they are most likely are already taking or being given laxatives. For adults without any GI problems, they can safely be on a better diet and take magnesium citrate before they want to defecate (if they have no kidney issues either). It takes 4-12 hours for magnesium citrate to work. There is an even better form of magnesium, but magnesium citrate should be fine, along with prunes or prune jam, lots of hydration and so forth. I take opiates for pain, and the way I manage constipation (which is indeed frustrating) is through diet (fibre, prune jam, and so forth) and skipping two days (of the ER formulation) if I have no stool for a few days, along with taking magnesium citrate. I would not recommend taking opiates AND laxatives all the time (or rather, I do not recommend treating OIC with regular consumption of laxatives). Constipation would not be a problem with lower doses and IR formulations though, or much less so. Just FWIW, if you can pass gass, your bowels are not obstructed, and it is a good sign, so if you take opiates, pay attention to that. If you cannot pass gas and you have abdominal pain, then it can easily become a medical emergency. You should not get to this point though, either by taking less, switching to a different formulation (ER -> IR), or switching to a different opioid, along with a better diet. Additionally, if you do not take opioids (especially ER ones) on a regular basis (similarly to how some people only take NSAIDs once in a while), then constipation is not going to be an issue at all. I hope this answers your concerns regarding opioid-induced constipation.

themafia 1y ago

> the safest painkiller currently available Likewise I find it one of the least _effective_ painkillers on the market.

throwaway2037 1y ago
What do you prefer?
- themafia 1y ago
  Given the side effects for the low level of pain that it can handle? Nothing. Narcotic analgesics are a godsend when you actually need them.

paulvnickerson 1y ago

> The autism stuff is plainly false and disproved. If you consider the relevant research you might think differently: https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using-acetaminophen-during-pregnancy-may-increase-childrens-autism-and-adhd-risk/ https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using-acetaminophen-during-pre...

Hikikomori 1y ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Engstrom https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Engstrom

manoDev 1y ago

There is a “better” painkiller than both Tylenol and Ibuprofen (Metamizol), but it has been forbidden on the US based on a study attributing strong side-effects to it, despite it being freely available over the counter on multiple countries for decades without issue. If this study is true, it should be easy to compare prevalence of autism on these countries that don’t rely on Tylenol.

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
Aloisius 1y ago
There's far more than one study now linking metamizole to agranulocytosis.
owenversteeg 1y ago
It's not just banned in the US; it's also banned in France, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Iran, and Canada among others. It is legal OTC in India, the former USSR, China, Mexico, and most of South and Central America. It is the most popular prescribed pain reliever in Germany and the most popular OTC drug in Brazil. It is popular in Spain as well. Metamizole is actually a very interesting case, to me, as the associated risk is quite strange. It is legal and popular OTC for the majority of the world population; in the countries where it is legal, there are few deaths from the native population. Among tourists who consume it, however, mortality is unusually high. The Spanish health ministry declared in 2018 that it should not be used in the "floating population", including tourists. There may be a genetic component involving Anglo-Saxons. See: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/26/painkiller-banned-in-uk-linked-to-britons-deaths-in-spain https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/26/painkiller-b... Here's a map of its availability: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metamizole_(Dipyrone)_Availability_World_Map.svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metamizole_(Dipyrone...

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]