!!!
Also in the New York Times and the Guardian. Article with no paywall here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/anti-inflammatory-drugs-may-aggravate-coronavirus-infection.
Anti-inflammatories may aggravate Covid-19, France advises French minister says patients should take paracetamol rather than ibuprofen or cortisone the GuardianIt's also true if you have any kind of respiratory disease. Ibuprofen can cause cardiac problems and terrible infections. If you have the flu / bronchitis, always take paracetamol.
Paracetamol has pretty dire side-effects as well, on the liver especially, even in small doses!
Acetaminophen (never knew it had another generic name) goes through several intermediate steps as it is being broken down by the liver. One of the intermediate species actually is toxic, but ordinarily it moves on to the next step so quickly that it doesn’t do damage.
The liver preferentially processes alcohol over acetaminophen, however. In that case, the intermediate species I referred to can hang around longer and potentially damage the liver. So abstain from alcohol if you have acetaminophen on board; for the extra-strength formulation available in the US, it takes 6 hours for the dose to wear off. Read the label.
Also, do not shorten that time by which you can take a new dose, and do not exceed the total dosage per 24 hours. I use acetaminophen for migraines, and it can be painful in that last half hour before I’m due to take another dose.
Individuals may have conditions that necessitate a different course of action. Your own medical care team knows far better what is appropriate for you than people on the internet.
Parents of small children learn the trick of alternating acetaminophen doses with ibuprofen to manage a child’s fever, as ibuprofen is processed differently. That obviously can’t be used in this case because ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which is the focus of the Minister’s statement.
Drugs face a lot of scrutiny in the process of coming to market, and after marketing approval too. So I think the stated dosages and stated times should be safe. But whereas some drugs (like ibuprofen and aspirin) can sometimes have their dosages exceeded, that is NOT the case with acetaminophen. Follow the instructions carefully and precisely. Touch base with your medical team if you have any doubt about your specific condition and follow their instructions.