According to Dr Sven Trelle, from the University of Bern, Switzerland, paracetamol (also called acetaminophen) is said to be only slightly more effective than a placebo in relieving pain caused by osteoarthritisa chronic joint disease that progressively destroys cartilage.
For this study, published in The Lancetand conducted on 22 different treatments (different dosages of paracetamol and 7 anti-inflammatory drugs), the researchers studied the medical data of 60,000 patients who had participated in clinical research between 1980 and 2015.
The preferred long-term paracetamol
In this study, the most effective drug against pain related to osteoarthritis proved to be the anti-inflammatory diclofenac at a dose of 150mg/day, ahead of other anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, naproxen or celecoxib. But the major drawback of these anti-inflammatories is that they cannot be prescribed for long periods because of their significant side effects (digestive or skin disorders).
This is why paracetamol is often preferred for long-term pain management “even though our results suggest that it is not effective, at any dose, in relieving pain due to osteoarthritis” emphasizes the Swiss doctor. This painkiller “does not show clinically significant efficacy” even if he is “slightly better” than a placebo, insists the doctor who hopes that the results of his study will “to better inform doctors on how to manage pain” at the house of patients with osteoarthritis.
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