Acetaminophen Hampers Ability to Recognize Errors

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

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I try not to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen, both have negative side effects. On occasion when I want to take an over-the-counter pain reliever, I use Aleve.

April 8, 2016 - It's been known for more than a century that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is an effective painkiller, but according to a new study it could also be impeding error-detection in the brain.

The University of Toronto research, authored by a team including postdoctoral fellow Dan Randles and researchers from the University of British Columbia, is the first neurological study to look at how acetaminophen could be inhibiting the brain response associated with making errors.

"Past research tells us physical pain and social rejection share a neural process that we experience as distress, and both have been traced to same part of the brain," says Randles.

Recent research has begun to show how exactly acetaminophen inhibits pain, while behavioral studies suggest it may also inhibit evaluative responses more generally.

Randles own past research has found that people are less reactive to uncertain situations when under the effect of acetaminophen.
"The core idea of our study is that we don't fully understand how acetaminophen affects the brain," says Randles.

"While there's been recent behavioral research on the effects of acetaminophen, we wanted to have a sense of what's happening neurologically."

To test the idea two groups of 30 were given a target-detection task called the “Go or No Go”. Participants were asked to hit a Go button every time the letter F flashed on a screen but refrain from hitting the button if an E flashed on the screen.

"The trick is you're supposed to move very quickly capturing all the GOs, but hold back when you see a No Go," says Randles.
Each participant was hooked up to an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures electrical activity in the brain. The researchers were looking for a particular wave called Error Related Negativity (ERN) and Error Related Positivity (Pe). Essentially what happens is that when people are hooked up to an EEG and make an error in the task there is a robust increase in ERN and Pe.

One group, which was given 1,000 mg of acetaminophen - the equivalent of a normal maximum dose - showed a smaller Pe when making mistakes than those who didn't receive a dose, suggesting that acetaminophen inhibits our conscious awareness of the error.

"It looks like acetaminophen makes it harder to recognize an error, which may have implications for cognitive control in daily life," says Randles.

Cognitive control is an important neurological function because people are constantly doing cognitive tasks that flow automatically like reading, walking or talking. These tasks require very little cognitive control because they are well mapped out neurological processes, notes Randles.

"Sometimes you need to interrupt your normal processes or they'll lead to a mistake, like when you're talking to a friend while crossing the street, you should still be ready to react to an erratic driver," explains Randles.

"The task we designed is meant to capture that since most of the stimuli were Go, so you end up getting into a routine of automatically hitting the Go button. When you see a No Go, that requires cognitive control because you need to interrupt the process."

The study was double blind, so neither the researcher running the study nor the participant knew whether they had been given a placebo or acetaminophen.

An unexpected and surprise finding that Randles plans to explore more closely is that those who received an acetaminophen dose appeared to miss more of the Go stimuli than they should have.

He plans on expanding on the error detection aspect of the research to see whether acetaminophen is possibly causing people to "mind wander" and become distracted.

"An obvious question is if people aren't detecting these errors, are they also making errors more often when taking acetaminophen? This is the first study to address this question, so we need more work and ideally with tasks more closely related to normal daily behavior."

The University of Toronto research is published in the current edition of the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.


Read more at http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Healt...- t- recogniz- errors.htm#LhhEsj45b2zlJOM4.99
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I get my fair share of muscular aches and pains...especially when I'm doing some logging, etc. I've tried all the various over the counter pills, and found that Naproxen Sodium (generic Aleve) works quite well for me. I just keep a small bottle of the Walmart brand on hand, and take one after Supper, and get a good nights sleep...and the next day, I'm ready to roll again. A bottle of 100 pills lasts me for months...about $4. I avoid taking ANY drugs, on a regular basis, and use these only as needed.
 

We buy a big bottle of Aleve at Costco when it's on sale, lasts us forever. Rarely take two in one day as recommended and try not to take them too Don. ThermaCare wraps are good for occasional back, leg or neck pain. Luckily I don't have to use these too often, buy them at Costco too, but always have them in the house if needed.
 
SeaBreeze said:
Acetaminophen Hampers Ability to Recognize Errors
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My gastroenterologist must take alot of Acetaminophen himself, as he recommends taking it over ibuprofen. I get it that NSAIDs 'can' cause gastro bleeding, but Acetaminophen 'can' be toxic to the liver, an organ I have fought to keep /keep healthier.

For my pain, Acetaminophen does not work(IE: ineffective); an NSAID 'can be' somewhat effective for the pain I regularly have.

At one time the FDA Considered Banning Acetaminophen-Based Pain Killers, including Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Lortab, Maxidone, Norco, Zydone, Tylenol with codeine, Percocet, Endocet, and Darvocet . I would like to see just the offending ingredient-Acetaminophen, removed so that the afore mentioned products could continue being available.
 
Another trick that works great for me are these "Be Active" leg braces, that are advertised on TV for "$19.95, plus processing and handling". I bought a pair, and put them on my legs when I plan on doing any serious outdoor work, and their pressure points do wonders for keeping any leg and back pain to a minimum. However, I Did Not order them from the TV....instead I got a pair on EBAY for less than $5....directly from China.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Sport...653539?hash=item2805d6c6e3:g:jTwAAOSwjVVV0XaL
 
tnthomas said:
My gastroenterologist must take alot of Acetaminophen himself, as he recommends taking it over ibuprofen. I get it that NSAIDs 'can' cause gastro bleeding, but Acetaminophen 'can' be toxic to the liver, an organ I have fought to keep /keep healthier.

For my pain, Acetaminophen does not work(IE: ineffective); an NSAID 'can be' somewhat effective for the pain I regularly have.

At one time the FDA Considered Banning Acetaminophen-Based Pain Killers, including Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Lortab, Maxidone, Norco, Zydone, Tylenol with codeine, Percocet, Endocet, and Darvocet . I would like to see just the offending ingredient-Acetaminophen, removed so that the afore mentioned products could continue being available.
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I don't understand why they add those ingredients in the first place. It doesn't make them less addictive, does it? Add 350mg of Acetaminophen to 5 grains of opioid and you still get 5 grains of opioid.

second thought: Guess it's so they don't have to prescribe 10 grains of opioid.
 
Don M. said:
Another trick that works great for me are these "Be Active" leg braces, that are advertised on TV for "$19.95, plus processing and handling". I bought a pair, and put them on my legs when I plan on doing any serious outdoor work, and their pressure points do wonders for keeping any leg and back pain to a minimum...
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That sounds good. I get a therapeutic massage once or twice a week and see my chiropractor twice a month. Works for me.
 
I take Milk Thistle liquid tincture for liver health. I think anyone using any drugs that may be hard on the liver especially should think about using it regularly, with the doctor's okay of course. These days there's so much junk and chemicals in the food and water, that it takes its toll on the liver, you don't even need to be a drinker anymore.
 
Acetaminophen is basically a cheap pain killer. At least ibuprofen is an anti inflammatory which is the cause of a lot of pain. I've found taking both at once can work quite well actually. Even recommended by some doctors. Depending on body weight they some can take up to three motrins and tylenols at once. Not recommended long term but 2 and 2 along with a decongestant work great on sinus headaches that make you nauseated along with a throbbing pain sitting over one eye.
 

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