Ingredients --

Acetaminophen

Chemical Formula: C₈H₈NO₂

Synonyms

Paracetamol
N-acetyl-para-aminophenol
Para-acetyl-amino-phenol

Description

Bitter white powder

Uses

Acetaminophen is a pain reliever similar to aspirin, but without aspirin's anti-inflammatory abilities, or its undesirable affects on the stomach lining, and without aspirin's anticoagulatory effects.

Acetaminophen is often combined with opiates such as codeine and dihydrocodeine to form a more potent pain killer.

Unlike aspirin and other cyclooxygenase inhibitors that work on the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, acetaminophen works on the COX-3 enzyme, which is present in the spinal column and brain. This lets it avoid preventing prostaglandins elsewhere in the body from working. This is why it has no anti-inflammatory effects, and does not affect blood platelets or the stomach lining.

acetaminophen: InChI=1/C8H9NO2/c1-6(10)9-7-2-4-8(11)5-3-7/h2-5,11H,1H3,(H,9,10)
acetaminophen: InChI=1/C8H9NO2/c1-6(10)9-7-2-4-8(11)5-3-7/h2-5,11H,1H3,(H,9,10)

codeine: InChI=1/C18H21NO3.H2O/c1-19-8-7-18-11-4-5-13(20)17(18)22-16-14(21-2)6-3-10(15(16)18)9-12(11)19;/h3-6,11-13,17,20H,7-9H2,1-2H3;1H2/t11-,12+,13-,17-,18-;/m0./s1

dihydroxycodeine: InChI=1/C18H21NO4/c1-19-8-7-17-14-10-3-4-12(22-2)15(14)23-16(17)11(20)5-6-18(17,21)13(19)9-10/h3-4,13,16,21H,5-9H2,1-2H3/t13-,16+,17+,18-/m1/s1

---

By Simon Quellen Field