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Why is Paracetamol preferred over other analgesics?
The other class of analgesics includes NSAIDs and opioids. Although all of them are used for effective pain management, they have very different mechanisms of action, making the adverse effects and course of action very different too. The NSAIDs are more used to prevent pain associated with inflammations. For example, patients with rheumatoid arthritis are recommended to use an NSAID such as ibuprofen. On the other hand, Paracetamol is not prescribed for anti-inflammatory purposes but is more preferred when the focus is to break the patient’s fever. This means the first one is more known for its anti-inflammatory properties, while the latter is more known for its antipyretic action.
People who have GI problems are advised to switch to Paracetamol and quit NSAIDs. For example, a patient with a co-morbid condition of duodenal ulcer and chronic back pain should use Paracetamol. This is because NSAIDs have a major side effect of inducing gastric ulcers when used in the long term. Otherwise, the patient should consume a proton pump inhibitor before NSAID to protect the gastric later from further damage.
In the case of opioid analgesics, not everyone is suited to this class. People who would have the first exposure to opioids should be monitored very closely because these are controlled drugs. They have a high risk of being abused, and first-time users can get drug dependence from its use. The other problem with opioids is that the already drug-dependent patients with a history of one are more likely to misuse the prescription. People who have constipation-like symptoms, such as patients of intestinal perforations, cannot be prescribed opioids again, and Paracetamol is the drug of choice.
