Pain killer drugs are easily sold over the counter. Acetaminophen popularly known as paracetamol is widely sold under the brands Tylenol and Panadol. A study published in 2020 has proved that Acetaminophen or Paracetamol do more than just relieve pain and headache. Paracetamol induces risky behaviour. It can cause some behavioural changes such as taking risks, scientists say. This is in addition to the body of recent research suggesting that acetaminophen pain reliever also extends to various psychological processes, reducing people’s receptivity to hurt feelings, experiencing reduced empathy, and even weakening cognitive functions.
Taking acetaminophen every week, reduced risk perception and increased risk. This could have major effects on society. The emotional ability to perceive and assess risk may be compromised when taking acetaminophen. While the effects may be mild, they are certainly noticeable.
Paracetamol can reduce anxiety, leading to greater risk-taking.
Paracetamol can reduce anxiety, leading to greater risk-taking. Exploring such alternative psychological explanations for this phenomenon – as well as studying the biological mechanisms responsible for the effects of acetaminophen on people’s choices in situations like this – should be addressed in future research, said the team. While at it, scientists will no doubt also have the opportunity to further their research on the role and effectiveness of acetaminophen in pain relief more generally, after studies of these recent years have shown that in many medical scenarios, the drug can be ineffective at relieving pain, and sometimes is no better than a placebo, while inviting other types of health problems. Despite the seriousness of these findings, acetaminophen remains one of the most widely used drugs in the world, considered an essential drug by the World Health Organization and recommended by the CDC for home pain relief in suspected cases of COVID19.
