Paracetamol
Pronunciation: pair-uh-SEE-tuh-mol.
- Generic name
- paracetamol (acetaminophen)
- Drug class
- Analgesic and antipyretic
- Form
- Tablet, caplet, capsule, oral liquid, suppository, infusion
- Route
- Oral, rectal, intravenous depending on product
- Legal status
- Many oral and rectal products are available without prescription, but supply rules vary by country and product
Usually over the counter in Australia; schedule and pack rules apply
Trade names by country: United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Australia · India · Nepal · New Zealand · China
Australia: Panadol (5), Herron Paracetamol (5), Dymadon (5), Paracetamol Sandoz (5) · Full directory
What paracetamol (acetaminophen) is and how it works
Paracetamol, called acetaminophen in the United States and Canada, is a pain reliever and fever reducer. It is used for mild to moderate pain and fever. It is not an anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen, and its most important safety issue is liver injury from too much total paracetamol or acetaminophen. (1) (2) (3)
The exact dose, interval, maximum daily amount, age limits, pack rules, and brand names depend on the country, the product strength, age, weight, liver risk, alcohol use, and whether the product contains other active ingredients. Always check the active ingredient panel so you do not take two paracetamol/acetaminophen products at the same time.
Mechanism of action: how paracetamol (acetaminophen) works
Paracetamol is an analgesic and antipyretic. Its analgesic and antipyretic effects are mainly central; it has little clinically useful peripheral anti-inflammatory effect compared with NSAIDs. Hepatic metabolism is central to toxicity risk, especially when overdose produces excess reactive metabolite burden. (1) (2) (3)
What paracetamol (acetaminophen) is used for
Pain relief
Paracetamol is used for short-term relief of mild to moderate pain, such as headache, muscle aches, toothache, backache, menstrual cramps, and pain from colds or flu symptoms. (1) (2) (3)
Fever reduction
Paracetamol can reduce fever. Fever in infants, persistent fever, very high fever, or fever with serious symptoms needs clinician advice rather than repeated self-treatment. (1) (2) (3)
Single-ingredient and combination products
Paracetamol may be sold alone or hidden inside cold, flu, sinus, sleep, or prescription pain products. Counting the total daily amount from every product is essential. (1) (2)
Before taking paracetamol (acetaminophen)
Do not take / not appropriate for
- Do not take this medicine if you have had an allergic reaction to paracetamol, acetaminophen, or the product's ingredients. (all countries) (2)
- Do not take more than one medicine containing paracetamol or acetaminophen unless a clinician specifically tells you to. (all countries) (1) (2)
- Do not exceed the dose, interval, or maximum daily amount on your label; overdose can cause severe liver injury even before symptoms appear. (all countries) (1) (2) (3)
Tell your clinician about
- Liver disease, hepatitis, heavy alcohol use, malnutrition, fasting, or low body weight.
- Kidney disease or long-term regular use of pain-relief medicines.
- Warfarin or another blood thinner, especially if you need paracetamol regularly for several days.
- Epilepsy, tuberculosis, HIV, or other medicines that may affect liver enzymes.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding, child age/weight, or use in an older or frail adult.
- Any possible overdose, including the time taken, dose, product name, and whether alcohol or other medicines were involved.
How to take paracetamol (acetaminophen)
- Use exactly as directed on the product label or by your clinician.
- Check whether the active ingredient is listed as paracetamol or acetaminophen.
- Do not combine several products that contain paracetamol/acetaminophen.
- Use an oral syringe or proper measuring device for liquids; kitchen spoons are not accurate.
- For children, use the product made for the child's age/weight and follow local dosing instructions.
- Do not use for longer than the label allows without clinician advice, especially if pain or fever persists.
Before procedures or hospital care
Tell clinicians that you have taken paracetamol/acetaminophen, especially if you may receive other pain medicines in hospital. This prevents accidental duplicate dosing from separate products. (1) (2)
Missed dose
If you use paracetamol only when needed, there may be no scheduled dose to miss. If you are taking it on a schedule, follow your product label or ask a pharmacist or prescriber for the exact timing; never double up or take extra doses to catch up.
United States
Follow your Drug Facts label or clinician instructions. Do not take extra doses to make up for a missed one. (1) (2)
United Kingdom
Follow the leaflet supplied with your product. If unsure, ask a pharmacist, NHS 111, or your clinician. (3)
Other countries
Use the local product label because strengths, dose intervals, and maximum daily dose may differ by country and formulation. (4) (5) (6)
Overdose
Get urgent medical help or call a poison centre immediately if too much paracetamol/acetaminophen may have been taken, even if the person feels well. Early symptoms can be mild or absent, but liver injury can become severe. Take the medicine packet or bottle with you. (1) (2) (3)
Side effects
Many people take paracetamol without noticeable side effects when they stay within the correct dose. Serious reactions are uncommon but important because liver injury and severe allergy need urgent action.
Usually no noticeable side effects at correct dose
What to notice: No symptoms may occur when the medicine is used correctly for a short time.
What to do: Keep within the label dose and avoid duplicate products containing paracetamol/acetaminophen. (2) (3)
Mild stomach upset or nausea
What to notice: Some people report nausea or stomach discomfort.
What to do: Seek advice if symptoms are severe, persistent, or occur after a possible overdose; a clinician will advise on whether to continue the medicine. (2)
Skin rash or itching
What to notice: Rash, itching, hives, peeling skin, mouth sores, or blistering.
What to do: Seek medical advice promptly; severe skin reactions need urgent care and a clinician will decide whether to stop the medicine. (1) (2)
Possible liver injury
What to notice: Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, right upper abdominal pain, unusual tiredness, dark urine, pale stools, or yellow skin/eyes.
What to do: Seek urgent medical help, especially after higher-than-recommended doses or multiple acetaminophen/paracetamol products. (1) (2)
Serious warnings
Severe liver injury from overdose or duplicate products — emergency
Symptoms: Early symptoms can be absent or mild; later symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, jaundice, or collapse.
Action: Call emergency services or a poison centre immediately if an overdose is possible. Do not wait for symptoms. (1) (2) (3)
Serious allergic reaction — urgent
Symptoms: Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat; wheezing; trouble breathing; severe rash; hives; or fainting.
Action: Seek emergency medical help immediately; a clinician or emergency service will decide whether to stop the medicine. (1) (2)
Severe skin reaction — urgent
Symptoms: Skin reddening, blistering, peeling, mouth ulcers, or rash with fever.
Action: Get urgent medical advice immediately; a clinician will decide whether to stop the medicine. (1) (2)
Alcohol and liver-risk situations — high caution
Symptoms: Risk is higher with heavy alcohol use, liver disease, fasting, malnutrition, or repeated high doses.
Action: Ask a clinician or pharmacist before use if you have liver risk factors or regularly drink alcohol. (1) (3)
Interactions
| Medicine or test | Effect | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Other paracetamol or acetaminophen-containing medicines | Duplicate dosing can unintentionally exceed the safe daily amount and cause liver injury. | Check every cold, flu, sinus, sleep, pain, and prescription product for paracetamol or acetaminophen before combining. (1) (2) |
| Warfarin and other anticoagulants | Regular or repeated paracetamol use may affect anticoagulation control in some people. | Ask your clinician or anticoagulation clinic before regular use; INR monitoring may be needed. (1) (3) |
| Alcohol | Heavy or regular alcohol use increases concern for liver injury. | Avoid exceeding label directions and seek clinician advice before use if you drink heavily or have liver disease. (1) |
| Enzyme-inducing medicines | Some medicines used for epilepsy, tuberculosis, HIV, or other conditions may change liver metabolism or liver-risk assessment. | Ask a pharmacist or clinician before regular use if you take complex long-term medicines. (2) (3) |
| Paracetamol blood level after overdose | A timed blood level helps clinicians assess poisoning risk and treatment need. | If overdose is possible, seek urgent care; clinicians will decide timing of blood tests and antidote treatment. (2) |
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney/liver function, age
Pregnancy
Paracetamol is commonly used in pregnancy when needed, but it should still be used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary time and according to local advice. (1) (3)
Breastfeeding
Paracetamol is generally considered compatible with breastfeeding when used correctly. Ask a clinician if the baby is premature, unwell, or if you need repeated high-frequency dosing. (1) (3)
Children
Child dosing depends on age, weight, product strength, and country-specific instructions. Use a paediatric product and measuring device, and do not guess doses from adult products. (2)
Liver disease, alcohol use, fasting, or low body weight
These situations raise concern for liver toxicity. Ask a clinician or pharmacist before use, especially for repeated doses. (1) (3)
Kidney disease and older adults
Short-term use may still be appropriate for many people, but kidney disease, frailty, and multiple medicines make individual advice important. (3) (2)
Monitoring
Before starting
- Confirm the active ingredient name: paracetamol or acetaminophen.
- Check whether any other medicine you take contains the same ingredient.
- Confirm the correct product, strength, dose interval, and maximum daily amount for the person's age and weight.
- Consider liver disease, heavy alcohol use, fasting, malnutrition, low body weight, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and anticoagulants.
During treatment
- Track the total daily amount from all products.
- Seek advice if pain or fever persists beyond the label limit; a clinician or pharmacist will decide whether treatment should be stopped or changed.
- Seek urgent help for possible overdose even if the person feels well.
- Watch for rash, swelling, breathing difficulty, jaundice, dark urine, severe vomiting, or severe abdominal pain.
- If on warfarin and using paracetamol regularly, follow clinician advice about INR monitoring.
Storage
Store paracetamol/acetaminophen in the original container, out of sight and reach of children. Keep the label and dosing device with liquid products.
United States: Follow the product label storage instructions and keep products out of reach of children. (1) (2)
United Kingdom: Follow the leaflet and pharmacist advice for your exact product. (3)
Professional information
Clinician-facing context only. This section does not replace local formularies, toxicology protocols, national prescribing references, paediatric weight-based dosing references, or product labels.
United States
Indication: OTC analgesic/antipyretic use
Dose summary: Dose intervals and maximum daily dose are product-specific. Many OTC labels warn against exceeding the label maximum and against duplicate acetaminophen products.
Renal context: No page-level calculator is provided. Individualise for hepatic risk, alcohol use, low body weight, frailty, renal disease, and combination products. (1) (2)
United Kingdom
Indication: Adult pain and fever
Dose summary: NHS adult guidance commonly uses 500 mg tablets, 1 or 2 tablets up to 4 times in 24 hours, with spacing between doses; patients should follow the leaflet and local advice.
Renal context: Seek clinician/pharmacist advice for liver or kidney disease, heavy alcohol use, low body weight, or repeated use. (3)
Children
Indication: Paediatric pain and fever
Dose summary: Use age/weight/product-specific paediatric instructions. Do not extrapolate adult tablet doses.
Renal context: Use extra caution with dehydration, poor intake, chronic disease, accidental duplicate products, or uncertain ingestion history. (2)
Hepatic guidance
Hepatic risk assessment is central. Lower maximum doses, avoidance, or specialist advice may be appropriate for liver disease, heavy alcohol use, malnutrition, prolonged fasting, low body weight, or repeated supratherapeutic ingestion.
Overdose note
Suspected overdose is time-critical. Management depends on dose, timing, formulation, repeated ingestion, co-ingestants, risk factors, and timed serum concentration where available. Follow local poison-centre/toxicology protocols and do not wait for symptoms before referral. (1) (2) (3)
Frequently asked questions
Are paracetamol and acetaminophen the same medicine?
Yes. Paracetamol and acetaminophen are two names for the same active ingredient. The United States and Canada commonly use acetaminophen; many other countries use paracetamol. (2) (3)
What is the biggest safety risk with paracetamol?
The main preventable danger is taking too much total paracetamol/acetaminophen, often by combining several products. This can cause severe liver injury, and early symptoms may be mild or absent. (1) (2)
Can I take paracetamol with cold and flu medicine?
Only if the cold or flu medicine does not already contain paracetamol/acetaminophen, unless your clinician specifically tells you to. Check the active ingredients on every package. (1)
Can children take paracetamol?
Children can use appropriate paediatric paracetamol products, but dose depends on age, weight, strength, and local instructions. Do not guess the dose and do not use adult products unless advised. (2)
Is paracetamol safe in pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Paracetamol is commonly used when needed in pregnancy and breastfeeding, but people should still follow local product advice and ask a clinician if they need frequent dosing or have risk factors. (1) (3)
What should I do after a possible overdose?
Call emergency services or a poison centre immediately, even if the person feels well. Take the product package with you so clinicians can identify the strength and ingredients. (2) (3)
Why do brand names vary by country?
Paracetamol products are registered, packaged, and sold differently across countries. The active ingredient may be the same, but brand names, strengths, forms, pack sizes, and supply rules can differ. (4) (5) (6)
What is the mechanism of action of paracetamol (acetaminophen)?
Paracetamol is an analgesic and antipyretic. Its analgesic and antipyretic effects are mainly central; it has little clinically useful peripheral anti-inflammatory effect compared with NSAIDs. Hepatic metabolism is central to toxicity risk, especially when overdose produces excess reactive metabolite burden. (1) (2) (3)
References
- TYLENOL EXTRA STRENGTH (acetaminophen) tablet, film coated — Drug Facts labelDailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine · United States · dated 2026-07-01 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 1
- Acetaminophen: MedlinePlus Drug InformationMedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine · United States · dated 2025-10-15 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 2
- Paracetamol for adultsNHS · United Kingdom · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 3
- Drug Product Database online queryHealth Canada · Canada · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 4
- Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG)Therapeutic Goods Administration · Australia · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 5
- Data Sheets and Consumer Medicine Information searchMedsafe New Zealand · New Zealand · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 6
- Crocin paracetamol pain-relief productsHaleon India · India · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 7
- DDA Nepal public drug information searchDepartment of Drug Administration, Nepal · Nepal · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 8
- Brands of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen)Farmaco Nepal · Nepal · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 9
- Paracetamol / acetaminophen Chinese names and common brand spellingsChinese-language medicine-name sources · China · dated 2026 · accessed 2026-07-21 · source 10
Brand names by country
Single-ingredient paracetamol (acetaminophen) names are shown separately by country. Product availability, strengths, and supply rules can change; combination products are not included here.
Priority countries
United States
- Tylenol (1) (2)current or common · 325 mg, 500 mg, 650 mg label-dependent · Kenvue Brands LLC and other packagers by product
- FeverAll (2)current or common · product-dependent · varies by product
- Mapap (2)current or common · product-dependent · varies by product
- Panadol (2)current or common · product-dependent · varies by product
United Kingdom
Canada
Australia
- Panadol (5)current or common · product-dependent · varies by ARTG entry
- Herron Paracetamol (5)current or common · product-dependent · varies by ARTG entry
- Dymadon (5)current or common · product-dependent · varies by ARTG entry
- Paracetamol Sandoz (5)current or common · product-dependent · varies by ARTG entry
India
- Crocin (7)current or common · 500 mg and product-dependent strengths · Haleon/GSK lineage by product
- Calpol (7)current or common · product-dependent · varies by product
- Dolo 650 (7)current or common · 650 mg · Micro Labs by common market use
- Metacin (7)current or common · product-dependent · varies by product
- P 650 (7)current or common · 650 mg · varies by product
Nepal
- Niko (9) (8)best available trade name · 125 mg, 150 mg, 500 mg product-dependent · National Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. by indexed product examples
- Napa (9) (8)best available trade name · 500 mg product-dependent · Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. by indexed product examples
- Pacimol (9) (8)best available trade name · 125 mg and product-dependent strengths · Ipca Laboratories Ltd. by indexed product examples
- Crocin (8) (7)common or available trade name · product-dependent · varies by product
New Zealand
- Panadol (6)current or common · product-dependent · varies by Medsafe data sheet/CMI
- Pamol (6)current or common · product-dependent · varies by Medsafe data sheet/CMI
- Paracare (6)current or common · product-dependent · varies by Medsafe data sheet/CMI
- Ethics Paracetamol (6)current or common · product-dependent · varies by Medsafe data sheet/CMI
China
- 泰诺林 (10)best available trade name · product-dependent · varies by local product
- 必理通 (10)best available trade name · product-dependent · varies by local product
- 对乙酰氨基酚 (10)generic name display · product-dependent · generic Chinese name
- 扑热息痛 (10)common name display · product-dependent · common Chinese name