What chemically/moleculary makes the difference between ibuprofen and acetaminphen?
What makes ibuprofen and acetaminophen work differently in the body?
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Answers ( 3 )
There is only one simple active chemical in each case:
Ibuprofen (aka Advil or Motrin) is 2-(4-Isobutylphenyl)propionic acid.
Acetaminophen (aka Paracetamol or Tylenol or Panadol) is N-acetyl-p-aminophenol.
Just like the even simpler Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), these compounds happen to stop one or both cyclooxygenases from functioning normally. Those are the enzymes that create prostaglandins, which are a wide ranging family of chemicals that regulate fever, pain, inflammation, formation of blood clots, gastric function, etc.
Drugs that do that are generally called NSAIDs and each of them affects some prostaglandins at slightly different rates than others, resulting in variation of effects and side-effects.
Acetaminophen (which is not considered a true NSAID even if it does the same thing biochemically) doesn't work very well against inflammation because some of the chemicals that are formed then disable it, and also has an additional mechanism of action against TRPV1 and cannabioid receptors, which makes it better at alleviating some kinds of pain that Motrin won't do, even if it's weaker at pain management overall.
Some recent refs:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10787-013-0172-x
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.580289/full
Acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen
Acetaminophen belongs to a class of drugs called analgesics. Ibuprofen belongs to the drug class called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Both drugs decrease pain. Ibuprofen also decreases inflammation.
The side effects of acetaminophen and ibuprofen may differ. This is because your body breaks them down differently.
For example, acetaminophen is broken down and removed by the liver. Acetaminophen has a warning about liver damage it can cause that can be fatal (cause death).
Ibuprofen, on the other hand, is removed from your body by your kidneys. Taking it for a long time can cause kidney damage and stomach bleeding. Using high doses of ibuprofen for longer than recommended can increase your risk of blood clots-heart attack-stroke
https://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/ibuprofen-vs-acetaminophen
The first part is easy.
Acetaminophen:
Ibuprofen:
For the second part, "Google is your friend!"