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Acetaminophen and Paracetamol

Q. I was recently traveling in France and ran out of the acetaminophen I brought from home for my painful arthritic knee. When I attempted to buy more acetaminophen from a French pharmacy, the pharmacist said acetaminophen is not sold in France. The pharmacist advised me to take a product named paracetamol. I took the French pharmacist’s advice and bought some, but I have some reservations about it. What is paracetamol and is it safe to use?

A. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc) is sold throughout the world as paracetamol. The two are identical.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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