Paracetamol is a medication that is used to treat both pain and fever. It is an over the counter medication and can help in relieving mild to moderate pain. Parecetamol is often sold in ‘combination tablets’ that contain other ingredients such as caffeine or decongestants and they are branded as ‘cold and flu relief’. Paracetamol is also commonly used in conjunction with opioids such as codeine (co-codamol) for more severe pain. Paracetamol is taken either orally or rectally.

Although paracetamol is one of the most common and widely used pain killers, the mechanism of action of how it works as a painkiller is still not completely understood. Unlike NSAIDS (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin etc..) it does not inhibit anything like the enzyme NSAIDS inhibit, which is why it is not that much of a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.