Is Acetaminophen Effective for Osteoarthritis?

[rangerrebew]

 Is Acetaminophen Effective for Osteoarthritis?
 

Laurie Saloman
Reviewed by QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board
 

For many people, a dose of acetaminophen (sold as Tylenol) has always been the first line of defense against pain of any kind. And while it may be effective for certain conditions, a recent analysis of 74 different studies found that acetaminophen lagged behind other drugs when it came to providing relief to osteoarthritis sufferers.

A team of researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland studied the effects of 22 different medications prescribed to people with osteoarthritis, a progressive condition that affects about 27 million Americans, according to the Arthritis Foundation. This very common condition is caused by wear and tear on the joints that leads to the breakdown of cartilage and bone-on-bone rubbing. The resulting pain and loss of physical function can hamper daily activity.

https://www.qualityhealth.com/arthritis-articles/acetaminophen-effective-osteoarthritis

[Gefn]

It works for me-ow.

 

[Sanguine]

I'm anti-acetaminophen.  Hard on the liver and provides little relief.

[truth_seeker]

Tylenol (acetaminophen) is the base in many opioid pain meds. (Darvon, Vicodin, etc.)

Acetaminophen can literally kill somebody in a fairly short time, due to liver damages.

A person taking their opioids as prescribed, then supplementing that with Tylenol, could easily go beyond the max acetaminophen per day.

We have a family friend, that lost a son that way. Gone, dead in his 20s.

[Bigun]

Alieve works best for me.  Don't take it all the time but when the old shoulder joints are really barking two Alieve generally do the trick!

[Applewood]

Unfortunately,  I'm stuck with Acetaminophen if I want pain relief.  Not allowed Naproxin or Ibuprofen  and can only do baby aspirin for the heart -- a higher dosage, even coated, upsets the tummy.  No Nsaids, no steroids and I won't do opioids -- they turn me into a zombie.