Exact Answer: Almost 1 hour
Almost every person suffers from a fever sometimes or the other. It is a temporary rise in the body temperature, caused due to some illness in the body. A common sign that states that something out of ordinary is taking place in the body. However, this is not a bad thing. In fact, these seem to play a role in fighting off infections.
When a person has a fever, it is a common practice to take analgesics named paracetamols. This medicine reduces the body temperature to normal and provides relief. But our main concern is how long it takes to bring down the body temperature to normal.
How Long After Paracetamol Will Temperature Down?
Paracetamol has been in the market for over 50 years now. It is the go-to treatment for illnesses like fever etc. it takes almost 1 hour to lower the body temperature to normal condition, having taken these tablets. And the effect stays for at least 5-6 hours.
Modern medicine is indeed a true marvel that comes to the rescue every time. When in search of a safe, multipurpose compound with the least side effects, paracetamol tops the list. It is one of the most common medicines used in almost every part of the world.
The dosage of this varies differently from person to person. And the common thing in this is that there must be a time difference of 5-6 hours between every dose. Not more than 4 doses ought to be taken within 24 hours.
Paracetamol is rarely known to have caused any side effects. Although it is advisable to discuss it with a doctor if you experience any kind of symptoms because of it. The side effects may include low blood pressure, allergic reactions, flushing, and a fast heartbeat. However, an overdose of this medicine may cause kidney/liver damage.
One also needs to keep in mind that just taking the medicine won’t do the work. You also need to stay in bed and take a rest. Try to stay as cool as possible, removing extra layers of clothing and blankets. Also, keep your body hydrated as much as possible.
Type of Paracetamol | Time |
Tablet | Around 1 hour |
Soluble tablets/liquids | Less than an hour |
Why Does it take Paracetamol so Long to Down the Temperature?
The time taken by the compound to enter the body, dissolve in blood and act at the sight is a bit long process. So, it takes an hour in this process. The whole idea of painkillers is to block the process that causes the feeling of pain.
Even though paracetamol had been in use for about 100 years, we still don’t know/understand the exact mechanism as to how this medicine works in the body and relieves the body from any type of pain, fever. The most common thought regarding the working of the medicine is that it relieves pain by decreasing the production of prostaglandins in the brain and spinal cord.
For those who don’t know, the human body produces prostaglandins in response to certain diseases and injuries. The action here is, they sensitize nerve endings so that we feel pain in the area where we got hurt. This is done to prevent any further damage to that area.
When paracetamol reduces the prostaglandins level, it increases our pain threshold which means that even though the cause of the pain remains, we just feel it a bit less. The same thing is followed in case of fever. The medicine cures fever by affecting that area of the brain which regulates our body temperature
All of these processes take time. Thus, paracetamol takes around 1 hour to work and lowers down the body temperature. Also, the liquids and soluble tablets are absorbed much more quickly than the dose tablets.
Conclusion
Having a fever is the body’s way to fight off various infections caused by viruses or bacteria. One might also get a fever from getting an immunization. All in all, fever is a very common phenomenon, regardless of the age factor.
Paracetamol comes to one’s rescue every time. It begins to act on the body within 1 hour of taking it and lowers the body temperature to normal. But one thing to keep in mind is the dosage structure i.e., 4 doses in 24 hours. And your fever will be gone in a nick of time.
I found this to be quite insightful.
The dosage structure and side effects were an interesting part to read.
I found this article very informative, I am glad I now have a better understanding of how paracetamol works in the body.
I didn’t know much about this, so this was very helpful, thanks.
Yes, I also learned a lot from it.
This was an interesting read.
Paracetamol seems to be quite effective based on the explanation in this article.
The explanation on how paracetamol works with the body in this article is fascinating.
Yes, I agree. It’s quite in-depth.
I have always been cautious with taking paracetamol, and the information here helps understand it better.
Knowledge is power.
Yes, this is definitely helpful to know.
It seems like paracetamol takes quite a while to bring the temperature down. I wish the process was faster.
But it’s worth the wait for the effectiveness.
Yes, it does take longer than expected.
The long time it takes for paracetamol to work may be frustrating if you’re suffering from fever.
This article provides a clear explanation of paracetamol’s working.