What is the Difference Between Panadol and Paracetamol

The main difference between Panadol and paracetamol is that Panadol is the brand name and common name for paracetamol whereas paracetamol is a medicine used for pain relief.

Panadol and paracetamol are two types of medicines important in pain relieving. Panadol tablets contain 500 mg of paracetamol as the active ingredient. In addition to mild to moderate pain relief, Panadol also helps to treat fever. Other names for paracetamol include acetaminophen.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Panadol
   • Definition, Structure, Function
2. What is Paracetamol
   • Definition, Structure, Function
3. Similarities Between Panadol and Paracetamol
   • Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Panadol and Paracetamol
   • Comparison with Key Differences

Key Terms

Pain Relief, Panadol, Paracetamol

What is Panadol

Panadol is a drug important to treat mild to moderate pain including headaches, menstrual periods, toothaches, osteoarthritis, back pain, flu aches, etc. It treats fever as well. The drug is given orally. The usual dose of Panadol is one or two 500mg tablets four times per day. Therefore, one should keep 4 hours between doses. Moreover, it takes around an hour to work. However, Panadol should not take together with other paracetamol medicines. In pregnancy and breastfeeding, Panadol is safe to take.

Figure 1: Paracetamol

Furthermore, Panadol can be taken with or without food. Panadol also comes as tablets and syrups. In general, taking overdoses of Panadol is always harmful. But, people should not take more than 8 tablets per day.

What is Paracetamol

Paracetamol or acetaminophen is a drug important in treating fever and moderate to mild pain. Some popular brand names for paracetamol include Panadol and Tylenol. In fever, paracetamol can only decrease the temperature of the body only slightly. Along with aspirin and caffeine, paracetamol is better to treat acute mild migraine and tension headaches.

Figure 2: Paracetamol Metabolism

Moreover, the side effects of paracetamol include abdominal pain and nausea. Chronic consumption of paracetamol results in a drop in hemoglobin level, indicating possible gastrointestinal bleeding, and abnormal liver function. In addition, a higher dose of paracetamol may result in adverse effects on gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal function.

Similarities Between Panadol and Paracetamol

• Panadol and paracetamol are two types of medicines important in treating mild to moderate pain as well as fever.
• Their tablets contain 500 mg of paracetamol.

Difference Between Panadol and Paracetamol

Definition

Panadol refers to a drug important to treat mild to moderate pain including headaches, menstrual periods, toothaches, osteoarthritis, back pain, flu aches, etc. while paracetamol refers to a drug important in treating fever and moderate to mild pain.

Significance

In fact, Panadol is the brand name of the medicine, paracetamol, while paracetamol is the drug that is important in treating fever and pain.

Other Names

Some other brand names for paracetamol include Tylenol while another name for paracetamol drug is acetaminophen.

Conclusion

In brief, Panadol and paracetamol are two names for the same drug. Therefore, there is no difference in chemical structure or therapeutics. Panadol is the brand name for the paracetamol drug. Significantly, a single tablet of Panadol contains 500 mg of paracetamol. Generally, one or two tablets can be taken orally at a time. In addition, the time between two doses should be 4 hours. And, paracetamol takes an hour to work. On the other hand, a high dose of paracetamol can cause adverse effects on gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal function. However, Panadol and paracetamol are important in treating mild to moderate pain and fever. Thus, the main difference between Panadol and paracetamol is their names.

References:

1. “Panadol Extra Strength Oral: Uses, side effects, interactions, pictures, warnings & dosing.” WebMD. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
2. “Paracetamol for Adults.” NHS choices. Retrieved August 11, 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Paracetamol-skeletal” By Benjah-bmm27 – Own Work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Metabolism of paracetamol” By The Sceptical Chymist – Own Work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia