I'm far from an "anti-pill" advocate. I take an occasional ibuprofen (or more) as needed, but I try to watch what I take because I know for every pro there's always a con. I'm especially leery when it comes to acetaminophen, which seems to be in every cough syrup and headache reliever known to man. Why? Because I learned long ago (after not knowing and putting myself at risk for years) that there are conditions that can turn it toxic in your body and quickly lead to severe liver damage. For example, anything over the recommended daily allowance (usually exceeding unknowingly because many cold/flu/allergy medications also contain acetaminophen) turns it toxic, as well as combining it with alcohol, even if taken 12 hours before consuming. Here are new findings suggesting that for at least back pain it may be doing you no good in the first place!
If you're taking acetaminophen (the main active pain reliever in Tylenol and Excedrin) for back pain it may be of no use. A new study was recently publish out of Australia putting acetaminophen up against mother nature to see which relieved the pain first: popping a couple pills or waiting for the pain to naturally subside.
For the study, researchers worked with a group of 1,643 patients who experience acute lower back pain. The subjects were broken up into three groups: 1 group took six 665mg tabs of acetaminophen and two placebos a day, 1 group took six placebo tabs and two 500mg tabs of acetaminophen a day, and 1 group took all placebos tabs.
The study authors found no difference in recovery time across all three groups, suggesting that acetaminophen absolutely no effect on lower back pain.
It just makes your think twice before grabbing over the counter medication for help. Consult with your doctor for the best pain management options for you (especially if you experience long, lasting back pains that you haven't discussed/disclosed to your doctor yet!).
Posted on Jul 30 2014 12:20PM
By LIFamilies
