When I was two, I opened the fridge, cheerfully downed a bottle of strawberry-flavoured Panadol - and promptly had to go for a stomach wash-out.
Or so I was told.
Realistically , if everyone who hasn’t heard of Panadol (which is a brand name) raised your hand at once, you could probably play one-on-one Monopoly Deal.
Thanks to TV advertisements, most of us (in Malaysia) can probably name a few types of Panadol : Soluble, Menstrual, Extra, Actifast etc.
The scientific name for Panadol is para-acetylaminophenol – usually creatively shortened to:
Paracetamol (PARA-aCETylAMinophenOL)
or
Acetaminophen (Para-ACETylAMINOPHENol).
Paracetamol has an anti-pain (analgesic), anti-fever (anti-pyretic) and mild anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it effective for fever and also for inflammation (e.g. in osteoarthritis - for the purpose of this post, I’m going to talk about it in knee osteoarthritis - knee OA).
Though widely available (Panadol is easily bought in pharmacies, 7-11 or KK- Mart), it is an effective medicine for many orthopaedic problems.
In fact for early or mild knee OA, it can be the medicine of choice, and is probably the first medicine your doctor may start for your knee pain (if you really need medicine). This does not mean that it is unconditionally safe. Taking too much (more than 4grams of paracetamol/ Panadol per day) can lead to liver problems.
The usual recommended dose is 1g (1000mg) 3-4 times a day for the first few days, followed by 1g (1000mg) two times a day if your knee pain is still there.
If your knee pain continues without much improvement after a course of paracetamol, it's best to see your orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible - especially if your knee is swollen, or if you have knee pain combined with fever.
That's because it could be something more serious - a joint infection with pus that could destroy your knee, or late stage knee osteoarthritis which may need more specialized treatment.
Oh yes, there is a slang word for paracetamol : Ubat KK (Klinik Kesihatan or Health Clinic).
This is likely because smaller district government clinics (mainly run by paramedical staff) are stocked with a few simple medicines for minor illnesses – paracetamol being one of the main medicines.
Unfortunately, this gives people the impression that paracetamol is too simple to treat their knee OA.
Some even think that surgeons who give them paracetamol must be bad doctors because...
“anybody can give me Panadol- I can buy it in the shop also… what a waste of time to see this doctor!”
Sometimes (when it works), the simplest solution may be the best solution.
As always, remember to check with your friendly orthopaedic surgeon or doctor before taking any medicines.
Next in this series :
Tramadol the head spinner.
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