Difference between Paracetamol and Ibuprofen

You better not become your own doctor and experiment your health with different medicines, as this may lead to some serious outcomes. However, you should have some knowledge of basic medication so you can use them in case of any emergency or unavailability of a doctor at times. Certain medicines should be kept at home for minor health issues, like bodily injuries, pain and fever. Make sure you use those medicines which don’t have side effects upon your body and health. Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are among the most commonly used pain-relieving medicines throughout the world. There are some differences between these two types of medicines but they both can be served for the same purpose.

Paracetamol is available in the market with different brand names all over the world and is a very effective analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-pyretic (fever reducer) medicine. This drug also has very limited side effects and gives results fairly quick.

On the other hand, Ibuprofen is also very effective for relieving pain and reducing fever but it is more known for its anti-inflammatory properties and anti-platelet effects in the human body. It also lasts for a shorter period of time than other anti-platelet medicines, like aspirin, inside the body.

Instructions

  • 1

    Paracetamol

    Headache, sunburn, bruises, toothache, fever or pain in other parts of the body, paracetamol can be used to cure all such health issues. It has tremendous abilities to affect brain receptors and nerves directly and results in reducing pain very quickly. That is why paracetamol is considered ideal for headaches and it is equally good for adults and children. However, paracetamol is not as effective to reduce swelling due to bodily injuries as Ibuprofen is. It may take 40 to 60 minutes for paracetamol to completely dissolve in the body and get rid of pain.

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  • 2

    Ibuprofen

    Ibuprofen is an excellent anti-inflammatory drug and is very good for bodily injuries and swelling. It belongs to the non-steroidal class of medicines and doctors recommend it in high fever and severe pain. Ibuprofen takes merely 30 minutes to reach its full effect and relieve your body from pain quicker than paracetamol does. Its additional property to reduce swelling makes it preferable over paracetamol but it entirely depends upon the condition of the patient that which of these two medicines should be appropriate for him/her. It has been observed that prolonged use of Ibuprofen might cause stomach upsets.

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