Paracetamol claimed to be ineffective against most types of pain, study claims

Paracetamol is one of the most popular drugs that people take to combat pain or fever, but it is claimed to be ineffective against most types of pain.

Scientists at Sydney's University analyzed systematic reviews of 3,570 studies that looked at the efficacy and safety of paracetamol for treating 44 types of pain conditions. Meanwhile, a single or multiple intake of a standard dose of a popular drug (0.5-1 g) is superior to placebo only for 4 painful conditions - osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints, recovery from the craniotomy, pelvic pain, including postpartum pain, and headache voltage.

For common conditions such as migraines and headaches with colds, as well as low back pain, the evidence for the effectiveness of paracetamol was too low or inconclusive.

Scientists questioned the recommendation of taking paracetamol for pain in the lumbosacral region back in 2016 when a randomized placebo-controlled trial involving 1,652 patients found no difference between the popular pain reliever and placebo.