One of the most commonly used drugs in the U.S. – and the most commonly used analgesic in the world – could do much more than just take the edge off your headache, it is. recent evidence suggests.
Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and widely sold under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, also increases risk taking, according to a September 2020 study that measured changes in people’s behavior when they were under the influence of over-the-counter medication.
“Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative when thinking about dangerous actions – they just don’t feel so scared,” said neuroscientist Baldwin Way from Ohio State University in September 2020.
“With nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population taking acetaminophen weekly, lower-risk and higher-risk attitudes could have a significant impact on society.”
The findings add to a recent research group suggesting that the effects of acetaminophen on pain reduction also extend to various psychological processes, reducing people’s receptivity to hurt feelings, gaining more empathy less, and even suppressing mental functions.
Similarly, recent research suggests that people’s ability to perceive and evaluate risks may be compromised when they take acetaminophen. While the side effects may be small, it is worth noting that, as acetaminophen is the most common drug ingredient in America, found in more than 600 different types of over-the-counter and over-the-counter medications.
In a series of experiments involving more than 500 university students, Way and his team measured how participants randomly administered a single dose of 1,000 mg of acetaminophen (the highest recommended single dose) to participants. effect on their risk behavior, compared with placebos randomly assigned to a control group.
In each test, participants had to pump up an unattached balloon on a computer screen, with each pump earning imaginative money. Their guide was to make as much imaginative money as possible by pumping the balloon as much as possible, but making sure they didn’t pop the balloon, and if they lost the money.
The results showed that the students who took acetaminophen engaged in a much higher risk taking during exercise, compared to the more cautious and conservative placebo group. Overall, those on acetaminophen pumped (and exploded) their balloons larger than their controls.
“If you run the risk, you may pump a few times and then decide to withdraw money because you do not want the balloon to explode and lose your money, “Way said.
“But for those on acetaminophen, as the balloon gets bigger, we believe they have less anxiety and less negative feeling about how much the balloon is getting and the potential that it will explode. “
In addition to the balloon simulation, participants completed surveys during two of the trials, evaluating the level of risk they perceived in a variety of hypothetical situations, such as promising a day-to-day income on an event. fun, bungee jumping off a high bridge, or driving. car without seat belt.
In one of the studies, acetaminophen consumption appeared to reduce perceived risk compared to the control group, although in another similar study, the same effect was not observed.
Overall, however, based on average results across the various tests, the team concludes that there is an important relationship between taking acetaminophen and more risky selection, even if the effect seen was small.
That said, they acknowledge that the drug – like effects on risky behaviors may be explained by other types of psychological processes, such as less anxiety, perhaps.
“As the balloon increases in size, those on placebo may feel more anxious about a possible explosion,” the researchers explain.
“When the anxiety becomes too much, they end up in the lawsuit. Acetaminophen may reduce this anxiety, thus leading to increased risk.”
Future research should address the study of such other psychological explanations for this phenomenon – as well as the study of the biological mechanisms responsible for the effects of acetaminophen on human preferences. their situations like this.
While they do, there is no doubt that future scientists will have opportunities to further explore the role and efficacy of acetaminophen in broader pain relief, after studies in recent years have found, in many medical conditions, that the drug can be ineffective in relieving pain, and sometimes it is no better than placebo, as well as inviting other types of health problems.
Despite the severity of these decisions, acetaminophen remains one of the most widely used drugs in the world, considered an essential medicine by the World Health Organization, and recommended by the CDC as the main drug you should take to reduce symptoms if you think you may have coronavirus.
Despite what we are learning about acetaminophen, we may want to reconsider some of that advice, Way said.
“Someone with mild COVID-19 symptoms may not think it is as dangerous to leave their home and meet people if they are taking acetaminophen,” Way said.
“We really need more research into the impact of acetaminophen and other over-the-counter drugs on the choices and risks we take.”
The results are reported in Socially conscious and influential ignorance.
A draft of this article was first published in September 2020.