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Acetaminophen and Autism
- reify 1y ago[flagged]
- yahoozoo 1y agoMost of the bottles in America say Acetaminophen.
- jleyank 1y agoWhy use the shorter chemical names when you can use the IUPAC name: N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide. If you’re talking about a chemical rather than a product, there’s established nomenclature rules. Or, if you’re a computer type, use the SMILES notation CC(=O)Nc1ccc(O)cc1.
- gilleain 1y agoVery true. I refer to it by the InChI : InChI=1S/C8H9NO2/c1-6(10)9-7-2-4-8(11)5-3-7/h2-5,11H,1H3,(H,9,10) Or the key Key:RZVAJINKPMORJF-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- HardwareLust 1y agoBecause this is an American organization and we don't use the word "paracetamol" here. Every package says "acetaminophen".
- madcaptenor 1y agoThis is an American author writing for an American publication about American policy. The article clearly should use American terminology.
- caminanteblanco 1y agoThis post is the first time I've ever heard of paracetamol, I've always called it acetaminophen
- gattilorenz 1y ago"Why don't these people use the more universal name cookies and instead refer to them as biscuits?" In Europe it's paracetamol, in the US is acetaminophen, both represent the same thing and are not ambiguous. Plus, it's literally mentioned in the 1st paragraph, together with the brand name Tylenol. In the Netherlands it's sometimes informally called "aspirin", even though that's a different chemical altogether. In Italy, the brand name Tachipirina is often used.
- piperswe 1y agoIn the US as well, it's not too uncommon for "aspirin" to be used (especially by older folks) as a generic term for OTC painkillers. When someone says to "take an aspirin," they typically mean acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and probably don't know or care about the difference between the three.
- gregors 1y agoFWIW I've never heard of Paracetamol, but have heard of Acetaminophen since an early age. Thanks US television ads!
- triceratops 1y ago> More Bollocks Why don't you use the more universal name "balls"? Even the most illiterate folks know what "balls" are. I don't know anyone who calls them "bollocks". > I dont know anyone who uses the name Acetaminophen. Because you don't live in North America.
- linsomniac 1y agoI've never heard the word Paracetamol. I asked my wife, a nurse working on her Nurse Practitioner degree, if she knows what it is. She said: "Tylenol in the UK. I'm not sure why I know it, probably read it in a British book." So sounds like even in the medical profession here it's not well known.
- troyvit 1y agoThe truth is our current administration has trouble enough with four syllable words. You really can't ask them to remember a new one, especially if it means the same as the North American one that they can almost pronounce[1]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoDAFv_LS5A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoDAFv_LS5A
- gilleain 1y agoYou could literally just look the naming convention up in wikipedia: > Paracetamol is the Australian Approved Name[170] and British Approved Name[171] as well as the international nonproprietary name used by the WHO and in many other countries; acetaminophen is the United States Adopted Name[171] and Japanese Accepted Name and also the name generally used in Canada,[171] Venezuela, Colombia, and Iran.[171][172] Both paracetamol and acetaminophen are contractions of chemical names for the compound. The word "paracetamol" is a shortened form of para-acetylaminophenol,[173] and was coined by Frederick Stearns & Co in 1956,[174] while the word "acetaminophen" is a shortened form of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP), which was coined and first marketed by McNeil Laboratories in 1955.
- retrac 1y ago"Tylenol" is also a contraction of acetylaminophenol.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- thekiptxt 1y agoOh _that’s_ what paracetamol is! I’ve seen it in British shows and presumed it was some different chemical altogether! I’m one of the 700M speakers who only know it by acetaminophen.
- tiagod 1y agoI'm not from the USA, and here in fact Paracetamol is the term people know (well, they actually mostly knew the Ben-u-ron brand, but with the rise of generics Paracetamol seems more used now.) However, from exposure to American culture in forums and whatnot, I was under the impression Acetaminophen was widely used over there.
- tomhow 1y agoPlease don't fulminate or instigate generic tangents on HN. The guidelines ask us to take care to keep discussions relevant to the topic of the article and to avoid commenting in a ragey, flamewar style. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- consumer451 1y agoThe insanity happening at the highest levels of the US government is a serious matter. However, one of my closest family members is diagnosed with autism, and we have a good time dealing with it all using humor. Best joke of 2025: > My mom took Tylenol PM, so I only have autism at night.
- LocalH 1y agodon't forget circumcision
- arevno 1y agoThe autism thing is ridiculous, but you should still stay away from Acetaminophen, because it's extremely hepatotoxic - arguably worse than alcohol if used chronically. There is nothing so self-contradictory as espousing "zero alcohol is the only safe amount" while also packing away a gram of Acetaminophen per day for headaches.