To think paracetamol is just a placebo?

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I have taken many over the course of my life, for a variety of different types of pain, mainly headache. However, I can't ever recall an occasion where paracetamol made the slightest bit of difference!!

Is it just a placebo!!?? A big con???

Or are some people simply not susceptible to it?

I take paracetamol mostly for a fever. It does work.

It also works for period pain. But I then need to take 1mg tablets.

Headaches are more complex.

I can't take ibuprofen or aspirin as they both give me stomach pain but luckily a dose of Paracetamol (2) sorts out my tension headaches.
I will also take co-codamol for flu or severe headaches but i'm careful with it because as well as potential addiction problems, it also makes me constipated. (Not something i usually suffer from )

Totally thought so until I had a c section and just had paracetamol afterwards. Was impressed with how much pain it shifted!

Hangovers - regulates my temperature really well, helps with headaches. If it was a placebo the NHS wouldn't bother to prescribe it surely

cocodamol does nothing for me! Dihydrocodiene is the only one that works, something about not being able to metabolise it?

For chronic pain, taken at the full daily dose, it certainly does work at taking the edge off. YABU on that account.

I was given paracetamol when in full on labour! It definitely didn't work then...

Works for me - I take it for headaches. Takes the edge off definitely.

When my dad was in pain from advanced bone cancer he said paracetamol was the best of the drugs they gave him. Until he got really bad and they dosed him up with morphine.

Hangovers - regulates my temperature really well and steadied my shakes

I have taken paracetamol (or ibruprofen) for period pain for years and always wondered whether it was a placebo. I didn't really care either way and didn't want to risk not taking something if it would have helped, IYSWIM. I always have one day of my cycle where I have bad period pain, take a tablet, feel better within 20-30 mins and then need another in the afternoon.
A few weeks ago I didn't have any painkillers with me whilst on a day out in Liverpool. The period pain lasted the entire day and I certainly didn't forget about it. So for me it isn't just a placebo.

Doesn't work on me really. Can take the edge of mild pain for an hour or so but not much else

I had a really bad tooth infection once and was counting down the minutes to being able to take my next paracetamol.
I suffered from stomach migraines for a few years but it didn't help with them because I was being too sick too keep them down. IV paracetamol would have been bliss then.

I have Gilberts Syndrome and paracetamol never worked for me at all. Just made me feel sick when I took it before diagnosis. I suppose this discussion points to individual differences in pain tolerance, systemic response to different pain killers and personal preferences for pain management.

Paracetamol works for me, both in tablet form and IV.
Had the IV during a nasty bout of cholecystitis and it worked like a dream - amazing stuff.
For those of you, for whom it doesn't work, have you tried either taking it with coffee or the 'with caffeine' versions? Caffiene is supposed to increase its effect

It's amazing. I love paracetamol. Headaches colds fever. Super effective. And I use it to amplify my diclofenac - which is for joint pain.

IV paracetamol whilst in hospital was excellent. Really did help with my pain.

Stuff I can buy over the counter - rubbish!

I remember hearing a doctor in a hospital say to a nurse that paracetamol is not really effective or worth taking for pain!

If it's for any kind of inflammation then it won't work. For inflammation you need aspirin or ibuprofen.

But for the relief of pain from fever, or fever itself, then paracetamol is very effective.

Paracetamol is great. Cured in one go the persistent pain I got in my knee for a month after a long hike. The anti-inflamatory was almost an instant relief. Before that one simple pill I was convinced I waa going to need surgery.

Oh fuck, it was Ibuprofen. Nevermind me then.

Ibuprofen was my go-to painkiller for many years until very recently; I always swore by it, but didn't realise how dangerous it can be - particularly in terms of raising your blood pressure. I recently was taking it for back pain and for some reason didn't link it to my upset stomach and other quite scary symptoms. I was feeling awful. Happened to be at the doctor for another reason, they took my blood pressure and it was through the roof, which was unusual for me. Long story short - I made the connection and immediately stopped with the ibuprofen. My BP came right down and the other symptoms stopped too. Was talking to my doctor about it and she said that it is used too much these days; says it should be saved for more severe pain that isn't eased by paracetamol.

So now it's paracetamol or other less potent painkillers. I never really rated paracetamol much in the past tbh; for me they take the edge off but aren't as effective as ibuprofen was. However I'd rather have pain than the effects I recently had on that.

IV paracetamol saved my life when my temp was sky rocketing due to pneumonia and sepsis. I am a big fan and will not hear a word said against it . Apparently I was going into crash when the paramedics arrived, so I have every reason to be grateful.

When you have a chronic pain condition you realise how rubbish paracetamol are, they do absolutely nothing for me.

Best is when people say " oh just take some paracetamol " it's like the go to stock phrase for any pain- except when you're in constant agony it's like popping smarties.

When my son broke his thigh he was in traction for a week before the operated. He was given a few drugs including morphine & diazepam, but they would never give him anything until he had been given paracetamol first. The nurse told me that paracetamol is a base drug & will increase the action of another drug that is introduced while it it is in your system. I don't know how try this is, but I have no reason to disbelieve her.