<p><strong>Paracetamol</strong> (INN) (<small><font size="2">IPA</font></small>: <span class="IPA" title="Pronunciation in IPA"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode">/ˌp&aelig;rəˈsiːtəmɒl, -ˈsɛtə-/</font></span>) or <strong>acetaminophen</strong> (USAN) is a widely-used analgesic and antipyretic. Derived from coal tar, it is the active metabolite of phenacetin, but unlike phenacetin, paracetamol has not been shown to be carcinogenic in any way. Unlike aspirin, it is not a very effective anti-inflammatory agent. It is well tolerated, lacks many of the side-effects of aspirin, and is available over-the-counter, so it is commonly used for the relief of fever, headaches, and other minor aches and pains. Paracetamol is also useful in the management of more severe pain, where it allows lower dosages of additional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to be used, thereby minimizing overall side-effects. It is also used in combination with opioid analgesics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0">[1]</sup> It is a major ingredient in numerous cold and flu medications, including <strong>Tylenol</strong> and <strong>Panadol</strong>, among others. It is considered safe for human use at recommended doses; however, acute overdose can cause fatal liver damage often heightened with use of alcohol, and the number of accidental self-poisonings and suicides has grown in recent years<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since January 2008" style="WHITE-SPACE: nowrap">[<em>citation needed</em>]</span></sup>.</p>

<p>The words <em>acetaminophen</em> and <em>paracetamol</em> come from the chemical names for the compound: <em>para</em>-<strong>acet</strong>yl<strong>aminophen</strong>ol and <em><strong>par</strong>a</em>-<strong>acet</strong>yl<strong>am</strong>inophen<strong>ol</strong>. (The brand name Tylenol also derives from this name: <em>para</em>-ace<strong>tyl</strong>aminoph<strong>enol</strong>.) In some contexts, it is shortened to <strong>APAP</strong>, for <em>N</em>-<strong>a</strong>cetyl-<strong>p</strong>ara-<strong>a</strong>mino<strong>p</strong>henol.</p>