Soluble paracetamol advice needed please

Will the contents dissolve- I am not too sure. I personally would gargle with salt and water overnight until I could get to my local chemist.

Can't see why it wouldn't be safe. Not sure if it would dissolve in cold water. You would probably have to use hot and let it cool.

Could he use soluble aspirin instead [or is he on warfarin?]. I always keep some to hand for when I get a sore throat.

They sell soluble paracetamol in our Tesco, but of course it would be OK to try to dissolve the contents of a capsule.

Pity the GP didn't prescribe soluble paracetamol for your DH.

Yes Ana I agree!
Tegan he's not on warfarin, but is on meds for hypertension and he's always been told the only painkiller he can use is paracetamol - no Ibuprofen for sure, no co-codamol. And he's assuming aspirin is out as well, so didn't want to chance it.
jings that's a good point about dissolving it in hot water and leaving to cool. Might try that.

They don't seem to hand out prescriptions very readily [I know this because I spend a fortune on stuff for embarrassing problems these days ]. I think you have to actually ask for them but I always realise that as an afterthought.

I do feel, though, that for things that are (supposedly) readily available and not overly expensive, it would be morally wrong to expect a prescription (free at our age, of course). If we can afford to buy bottles of wine, we shouldn't mind paying for over the counter meds.

I can't actually make out just how gargling with soluble paracetamol is going to help a sore throat. Wouldn't it be best to actually swallow two paracetamol tablets?

It's more than just a sore throat jings. He's been coughing up blood and has to have a chest x-ray. The GP said his throat looked red raw and it could just be that his cough has caused that and that's where the blood is coming from (it's not much, just a tinge when he brings up any sputum). So in the meantime, until he has his x-ray, he suggested gargling with soluble paracetamol to get right to the rawness - who are we to argue? Reminds me of my DF who would always chew an aspirin on a painful tooth until he could get to the dentist.

Who indeed?

Indinana, I was suggesting the prescription as a one-off, until the patient could find somewhere to buy it over the counter, not as a long-term arrangement.

I know gargling with soluble aspirin works for a sore throat because the contact with the aspirin helps the pain without needing to swallow it. Whether it works with Paracetamol I have no idea.

I guess that using aspirin isn't a good idea if there's any sort of bleeding involved. It was my doctor who advised me to do that. I had a cough that lasted for weeks and weeks and I, too ended up coughing up blood.

My DH is on warfrin and can only use paracetamol as apposed to aspirin, and has great difficulty at times getting soluble ones which he prefers. You may be able to get some under the trade name Panadol, but be warned it is a lot more expensive than the generic ones. The stuff in capsules doesn't have the same properties and does not dissolve very well.

Gargle a weak solution of TCP instead?

Yes, that's an idea bags.

I think the painkiller in lemsip is paracetamol. You would have to check.

It is but it also has some sort of stimulant in it. TCP would fight infection but not reduce pain or inflammation.

Salt water for pretty much everything that's sore or bleeding in this house!

I would think TCP would have about as much pain killing property as salt. (That's none)

(Don't mean to offend )

I would think drinking the dissolved paracetamol would work the best.

I would have thought paracetamol or anything else would need to go into the bloodstream to do any good.

The only thing about being soluble means it might get into your bloodstream quicker. Remember the advert "Nothing acts faster than Anadin" it means just that. That all reach the blood stream at about the same rate.

Honey and lemon is probably as good as anything at soothing it. Wash the paracetamol down with the honey and lemon.
Things like fishermans friend seem to offer a counter irritant effect to a sore throat.

That's true, nelliem: honey and lemon is great for sore throats, and with a slug of whisky it's even better.