One of the most commonly used drugs in the US – and the most used pain reliever in the world – could do much more than simply take the edge off your headache, recent evidence suggests.
Acetaminophen, also known as acetaminophen and widely sold under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, also increases risk-taking, according to a September 2020 study that measured changes in people’s behavior under the influence of common over-the-counter medications.
“Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative emotions when they consider risky activities – they just don’t feel that scared,” said Ohio State University neuroscientist Baldwin Way in September 2020.
“Since nearly 25 percent of the US population uses acetaminophen every week, reduced risk perceptions and increased risk-taking can have significant effects on society.”
The findings add to a recent study suggesting that acetaminophen’s effects on pain relief also extend to various psychological processes, lowering people’s susceptibility to hurt feelings, experiencing reduced empathy, and even blunting cognitive functions.
In a similar way, recent research suggests that people’s affective ability to perceive and evaluate risk may be impaired when taking acetaminophen. While the effects may be minor, they are definitely worth noting, as acetaminophen is the most common drug ingredient in America, found in over 600 different types of over-the-counter and prescription medications.
In a series of experiments involving more than 500 college students as participants, Way and his team measured how a single dose of 1000 mg of acetaminophen (the recommended maximum single dose for adults) randomly assigned to participants affected their risk behavior, compared to random. given placebos. to a control group.
In each of the experiments, the participants had to pump an uninflated balloon onto a computer screen, with each pump making imaginary money. Their instructions were to make as much imaginary money as possible by inflating the balloon as much as possible, but to make sure that the balloon doesn’t pop, in which case they would lose the money.
The results showed that the students who took paracetamol took significantly more risks during exercise, compared to the more cautious and conservative placebo group. Generally speaking, those using acetaminophen pumped (and burst) their balloons more than the controls.
“If you’re risk averse, you can pump a few times and then decide to spend money because you don’t want the balloon to burst and lose your money,” Way said.
“But for those on acetaminophen, as the balloon gets bigger, we think they have less anxiety and less negative emotions about how big the balloon is and the possibility of it bursting.”
In addition to the balloon simulation, participants also completed surveys during two of the experiments, assessing the level of risk they saw in various hypothetical scenarios, such as betting a daily income at a sporting event, bungee jumping from a high bridge, or driving a car without a seat belt.
In one study, the use of acetaminophen seemed to reduce the perceived risk compared to the control group, although the same effect was not seen in another similar study.
Overall, based on an average of the results across the different tests, the team concludes that there is a significant relationship between taking paracetamol and choosing more risk, even if the observed effect may be minor.
That said, they recognize that the drug’s apparent effects on risk-taking behavior can also be interpreted through other types of psychological processes, such as perhaps reduced anxiety.
“It may be that as the balloon gets bigger, those taking placebo feel more and more fear of a possible eruption,” the researchers explain.
“If the fear becomes too great, they terminate the trial. Acetaminophen can reduce this fear, increasing risk-taking.”
Exploring such psychological alternative explanations for this phenomenon – as well as examining the biological mechanisms responsible for the effects of acetaminophen on people’s choices in situations like this – should be addressed in future research, the team said.
While they are at it, scientists will no doubt also have future opportunities to further investigate the role and efficacy of acetaminophen in pain relief in a broader sense, after studies in recent years have shown that the drug cannot be effective in pain relief in many medical scenarios. , and is sometimes no better than a placebo, in addition to inviting other types of health problems.
Despite the seriousness of those findings, acetaminophen remains one of the most widely used drugs in the world, considered an essential drug by the World Health Organization and recommended by the CDC as the primary drug you should probably take to relieve symptoms if you think that possibly have coronavirus.
In light of what we’re learning about acetaminophen, we might want to rethink some of that advice, Way said.
“Perhaps someone with mild COVID-19 symptoms may not find it that risky to leave the house and meet people while on acetaminophen,” Way said.
“We really need more research into the effects of acetaminophen and other over-the-counter drugs on the choices and risks we take.”
The findings are reported in Social Cognitive and Affective Neurosciences.
A version of this article was first published in September 2020.