The Effect Paracetamol Has On The Personality

There is a study that confirms the effect paracetamol has on the personality of the patient who takes it. This explains unexpected effects that we did not know until recently. More specifically , it can lead to a decline in empathy.

This drug, also called acetaminophen, is a common painkiller and antipyretic. Therefore, many people use it to treat pain and fever.

Like other medications, it can cause some side effects. However, you can expect them when you start treatment. Until now, researchers only knew about side effects in the liver when taken in high doses.

Studies confirming the effect of paracetamol on personality

So far , acetaminophen is useful for both physical and psychological pain relief. Research from Ohio State University goes a step further.

At this university, they have researched this substance. Throughout the work , they discovered a new side effect. In fact, these researchers found that paracetamol can reduce positive emotions.

Two studies were conducted with students from the same university.

First study

The first study had 82 participants. Half of them took 1 gram of the drug. The other half took a placebo. Then they waited about an hour before the researchers showed them pictures to evoke emotions. There were three types of pictures:

• Very unpleasant pictures : For example, they showed pictures of malnourished children

• Neutral images : These images had no clear feeling
• Very nice pictures

After looking at each picture, they had to rate it on a like / dislike scale from -5 to 5. Then they had to measure the emotional response they had on a scale from 0 to 10. As a result , those who took the drug rated pictures as less extreme than those taking placebo. In addition, the same thing happened with the emotional response.

Second study

Following these results , the researchers conducted another study in which they showed 85 people the same images. Then they had to make the same judgments and emotional reactions as in the previous study. However, they added one thing to ensure that it only affects the emotions, not the judgment in general.

They also had to consider how much blue they saw in each picture. Again, people taking paracetamol compared to placebo had different evaluations and emotional reactions. In both negative and positive photographs, there was a big difference.

However, the ratings on blue content were the same, regardless of whether the participants took the drug or not. Therefore, the results suggest that paracetamol affects emotions and not judgment.

Summary of the effect paracetamol has on personality

Right now, researchers are not sure if other painkillers, such as ibuprofen, have the same effect. However, there are plans to study this.

Unlike many other painkillers, this drug is not a non-steroidal anti -inflammatory drug (NSAID). This means that it does not control inflammation. However, we do not know if this has to do with the effect paracetamol has on the personality or not.

During this study, you can see that some people react differently to positive and negative life events. This shows the effect paracetamol has on the personality. In any case, new research must confirm or rule this out.