Panadol ? (Panadol)

Member Name: leighsady

Product:	Panadol
Date:	13/07/08 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Highly effective, generally starts working very quickly, few side effects.

Disadvantages: Unsuitable for people who have severe liver or kidney problems.

What is it?
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Some paracetamol tablets by the brand name 'Panadol' - manufactured by Glaxosmithkline.


Special features?
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These help to relieve pain and reduce fever. They can be used to relieve headaches, mild arthiritis, period pain, neuralgia, feverishness, aches and pains of colds and flu, migraine, backache. Rheumatic and muscle pain, toothache, and sore throat. Panadol actually do three different versions now; their standard tablets in the blue pack, the 'Actifast' tablets that claim to work quicker, and the 'Panadol Extra' in the red packs that have a heavier dose of paracetomol.

I personally only use the standard strength packs. Taking medicine is already a strain on the body, so I don't believe it helps anymore when you start adding more complicated additives into it.


How do I take them?
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For adults, it is normally two tablets every 4 hours. For children (6-12 yrs) , only ½ to 1 tablet to be given every four hours as required. No more than 8 tablets should be taken in 24 hours.


Are they effective?
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I only take this during times of flu, colds and headaches. The time for the paracetomol to take effect varies depending on whether you have taken any food. I find the medicine appears to relieve pain quicker on an empty stomach or before food. I generally find that it starts to relieve pain after about half an hour.

It does help to reduce fever very quickly and also relieves a lot of the aches and pains that come with flu. Without taking this, I wouldn't be able to get out bed, however, the effects of the paracetomol seem to only last for a maximum of 5-6 hours before the symptoms come back - so it is advised to take them roughly every hours as advised.

The medicine is available in either capsules or tablets. Generally, I prefer to use the tablets, as they are easier to swallow - the capsules appear to be larger and they seem to have a tendency to stick to the throat.

Generally, with Panadol it is unusual to have any side effects. There doesn't seem to be any advice on side effects stated on the packet, however, it does suggest to consult a doctor if you have severe liver or kidney disease, if you suffer from arthiritis and need to take painkillers everyday. And of course, if symptoms persist it is advisable to see a doctor.

I don't seem to experience any side effects myself, however, I have found that I do get a little sleepy after taking the tablets. So there may be a possibility that it will cause drowsiness in some people - however, I'm assuming this will be rare as this is not stated on the packet, and the drowsiness has only started recently with me - so it may just be me...

Panadol is probably one of the few that is not so harsh on the system - it's quite gentle on the stomach as you can take it without food, and generally there are very few side effects. There is perhaps some strain on the liver - I assume this because of the warnings stated on the packet about overdose, having liver disease etc - so if there are previous liver problems, perhaps this would not be so suitable. In general, it is also not advisable to Panadol for more than three days - so if you are still having problems, after a couple of days it is highly advisable to go to see the GP.


Cost?
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They are a little more expensive as a branded product - around £1.52 for a packet of 16 tablets, compared with around 39p for a supermarket branded packet. Although, there is such a price difference I also prefer to buy this as there is a reliability and trust factor there - particularly so, as it is manufactured by a long standing pharmaceutical company.


Overall?
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A very reliable product. Highly effective, easy to take and very few side effects. Definitely one to keep ready in the cabinet.


Thanks for reading. xx



©Leighsady 2008

Summary: Safe, reliable and effective.