PAIN RELIEF
STICk to the dosage on the packet and if in doubt, seek professional advice, says Sultan Dajani, a pharmacist in Hampshire. For the pain-relief box, he recommends:
PARACETAMOL
Sainsbury’s paracetamol 500mg, 16 caplets, 50p PARACETAMOL can reduce fever and moderate local pain such as a headache. It works by blocking ‘pain messengers’ called prostaglandins, which are released from a site of injury and trigger local inflammation. Don’t exceed two 500mg tablets four times a day, as it can cause liver damage and may even be fatal; and don’t mix it with other products containing paracetamol, such as flu remedies. Like most drugs, children need their own version (see box, right).
IBUPROFEN Tesco ibuprofen 200mg 16 tablets, 55p
IBUPROFEN reduces inflammation and works in a different way from paracetamol, so you can take both drugs if needed (but don’t exceed the maximum doses; for ibuprofen this is 400mg three times a day).
Ibuprofen can stop the body producing the mucus lining on the stomach wall, so don’t take it on an empty stomach. It is unsuitable if you have stomach ulcers, liver disease, heart failure, kidney problems or asthma.
CO-CODAMOL
Solpadeine Max, 32 soluble tablets, £7.29, lloydspharmacy.com CO-CODAMOL works better than other painkillers if you take the maximum dose (two tablets at a time) and contains paracetamol and codeine, an opioid that blocks pain receptors in the brain. Only take this for three days consecutively to avoid side effects.
ASPIRIN Sainsbury’s aspirin, 16 tablets, 45p
MANY people associate aspirin with pain relief but I advise patients to use paracetamol or ibuprofen instead, which tend to have fewer side effects. That said, it is worth keeping aspirin to hand; the NHS advises adults having a suspected heart attack to chew 300mg, as it can dissolve potential blood clots.
THERMOMETER
non-Contact Forehead Thermometer, £24.99, lloydspharmacy.com THIS takes your temperature using infrared technology when you hold it close to your forehead, which is more hygienic than standard thermometers. A contactless one should set you back £20 to £30 and should have a CE kite mark of excellence; buy it from a pharmacy to ensure it’s not counterfeit.