Hacker News Reader

> Much better to go heavy with Ibuprofen

Do you know that Ibuprofen can cause morphological changes in the testes? I wouldn't call that much better...

It's a lot easier to live without testicles than without a liver.

Yet many people take paracetamol without issue - you just need to read what the max dose you can take is (2x500g tables at least 4 hours apart and no more than 4 times per day) and not for more than a few days at a time.

The bigger danger is people mixing it with other cold and flu medication that ALSO contains paracetamol.

Paracetamol/acetaminophen has an extremely small therapeutic range for an over-the-counter drug. Yes, if you follow the dosing instructions (and are aware of all sources of the drug you're taking and also aren't drinking alcohol or something simultaneously) you'll be fine, but if you discovered this drug today the odds that it would be approved for over-the-counter use are basically zero.

NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen) are rough on the kidneys. I didn't know about GP's point, but of course that fits, anatomically.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com