Noun

Singular paracetamol

Plural countable and uncountable; plural paracetamols

paracetamol (countable and uncountable; plural paracetamols)

1. (British, pharmacology, uncountable) An NSAID used to treat mild pain.
2. (British, pharmacology, countable) A paracetamol tablet.

Synonyms

• acetaminophen (US)

Czech

Noun

paracetamol m.

1. (pharmacology) paracetamol, acetaminophen

Synonyms

• acetaminofen m. (rare)

Dutch

Wikipedia

US FDA:link

Paracetamol (INN) (pronounced /ˌpærəˈsiːtəmɒl, ˌpærəˈsɛtəmɒl/) or acetaminophen (/əˌsiːtəˈmɪnɵfɨn/ ( listen)) (USAN) is a widely used over-the-counter analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer). It is commonly used for the relief of fever, headaches, and other minor aches and pains, and is a major ingredient in numerous cold and flu remedies. In combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioid analgesics, paracetamol is used also in the management of more severe pain (such as postoperative pain).

While generally safe for human use at recommended doses (1000 mg per single dose and up to 4000 mg per day for adults, up to 2000 mg per day if drinking alcohol), acute overdoses of paracetamol can cause potentially fatal liver damage and, in rare individuals, a normal dose can do the same; the risk is heightened by alcohol consumption. Paracetamol toxicity is the foremost cause of acute liver failure in the Western world, and accounts for most drug overdoses in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Paracetamol is derived from coal tar, and is part of the class of drugs known as “aniline analgesics”; it is the only such drug still in use today. It is the active metabolite of phenacetin, once popular as an analgesic and antipyretic in its own right, but unlike phenacetin and its combinations, paracetamol is not considered to be carcinogenic at therapeutic doses. The words acetaminophen (used in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Iran, Colombia and other Latin American countries) and paracetamol (used elsewhere) both come from chemical names for the compound: para-acetylaminophenol and para-acetylaminophenol. In some contexts, it is simply abbreviated as APAP, for N-acetyl-para-aminophenol. There is confusion in terminology of Paracetamol (known as Acetaminophen in North America). It should be included in NSAIDS but Paracetamol has very little anti-inflammatory effect in many tissues. However aspirin, paracetamol and other NSAIDs all act by the same mechanism (inhibition of PG synthesis) and all show varying levels of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and antiplatelet actions.