Acetaminophen
TylenolPubChem CID 1983 · 3D model
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Dials down pain and fever by blocking the same kind of chemical messengers ibuprofen does — but mainly inside the brain and spinal cord, rather than throughout the whole body.
How it works
Researchers still don't have a full picture of how acetaminophen works, but the leading explanation is that it blocks pain- and fever-related enzyme activity mostly inside the brain and spinal cord rather than out in the rest of the body. That's different from drugs like ibuprofen, which block the same enzymes everywhere in the body, which is also why acetaminophen doesn't reduce swelling or irritate the stomach the way those drugs can. By quieting these signals in the brain, it dulls how pain gets registered and helps reset the body's internal thermostat when you have a fever. A few other brain-chemistry pathways may pitch in too, but this mostly-in-the-brain effect is thought to be the main driver.
What it’s used for
Used for everyday aches and pains — headaches, muscle soreness, backaches, minor arthritis pain, toothaches, cold symptoms, and menstrual cramps — and to bring down a fever. A stronger IV version given in hospitals is also used to help control pain after surgery (often alongside opioid painkillers so patients need less of them) and to reduce fever when a patient can't take pills by mouth.
- Mechanism
- Central COX inhibition (analgesic / antipyretic)
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Analgesic / Antipyretic