Pain Reliever Acetaminophen Dulls Feelings Of Pleasure As Well As Pain

Commonly used over-the-counter pain reliever, acetaminophen works not only treats physical pain but also kills feelings of pleasure, finds new research.

Acetaminophen, over-the-counter pain reliever was found to reduce both pain and pleasure. This is the first time the drug’s side effect has been documented.

In the study, participants who took acetaminophen reported less strong emotions when they saw both very pleasant and very disturbing photos, when compared to those who took placebos.

Research Highlights Safer Alternatives to Nonsteroidal Antinflamatory Pain Killers
Drugs called nonsteroidal antinflamatory drugs (NSAIDs) block an enzyme called COX-2 to relieve pain and inflammation.

Lead author of the study Geoffrey Durso at the Ohio State University said that this meant that using Tylenol or similar products might have broader consequences than previously thought, and rather than just being a pain reliever, acetaminophen can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever.

Assistant professor Baldwin Way added that the results may also have an impact on psychological theory. An important question in psychological research is whether the same biochemical factors control how people react to both positive and negative events in their lives.

The results appear online in the journal Psychological Science.

Better Alternatives To Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Pain Killers
The enzyme called COX-2 is blocked by Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain and inflammation, but can cause heart attacks and stroke, too.

Source-ANI

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