HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

topham

61 karma · joined April 19, 2026

submissionscomments
topham··on Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen
There are some that are very hard to find as a single ingredient. Recently I was purchasing a medication for back pain, I had a choice as to which other ingredient I wanted, but I didn't have the choice of none. I picked the combined ingredient I don't like to take, because I wouldn't be adding it on top.

I did toss on the other option, stand alone, at one point so I could get some sleep.

It left the medication I was more comfortable taking as an add-on option if things got bad enough. (This particular medication has much lower risk of overdose, so if I got stupid and took it again there would be no significant additional risk.)

It's ironic, but taking the combined medication with a known higher risk of its own was better than taking the lower risk medication.

One was controlled, higher risk, taken at specific times, while the other was taken in addition, on demand, as required.

topham··on Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen
The right tool for the right job. When it comes to medication, in the right dosage.

I'm aware of acetaminophen's down sides, and yet recently I was taking it combined with 2 other medications at the time.

Why? Because all three medications are recommended for dealing with the issue I had. (Alone and in combination)

The moment it wasn't helping further? Done.

There is this broken idea, particularly apparent in North America, but in western society that more is better for many things. It's not.

More pain killers don't do anything if they max out the relief they can give you, overloading their mechanism doesn't reduce anything, but taxing your liver or your kidneys.

All medications are potentially toxic, your body wants to dispose of them. In appropriate dosages they will benefit you, but more isn't inherently better.

Even water can kill you in sufficient quantity.

We do the same with diet; where someone declares one ingredient in a meal healthier than another; it isn't. A single ingredient isn't better or worse for you in a meal. Your diet however can be good or bad; over time that matters.

topham··on NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers
This is true, and illusionary at the same time.

While our precise perception of red may not match, the interplay between colors is such that people perceived them to go together, or clash, etc, in a somewhat consistent fashion.

This means that, over the general population the perception of color is very similar from person to person. Ignoring genetic defects.

topham··on Is ChatGPT's web front end being intentionally degraded?
Their app is trash too for performance. If they generate some code and markdown the widgets to work with them perform like absolutely garbage.
← PreviousPage 3 of 3