The active ingredient Aminophenazone has an antipyretic and pain-relieving effect. However, the analgesic is controversial because of its side effects. In some European countries it is no longer sold on the free market.
What is aminophenazone?
Medical research began around 120 years ago with the extraction of aminophenazone from the basic substance phenazone. It is a white powder. Its solubility in water is very high. The first drugs containing aminophenazone were used around 1900.
Due to the intensive reduction in the extraction, these had a strong calming effect. Pain was dampened, the fever lowered, the entire organism could be relaxed. It was therefore of certain relevance before major interventions. The agent was often given to calm the patient.
But it was more important in the aftercare of diseases and wounds. Inflammation of any kind could be relieved with it. Other symptoms were also remedied comparatively quickly with the aminophenazone. Side effects did not occur - however, they do occur with long-term use.
Pharmacological effect
The aminophenazone is almost always taken orally. It can therefore take the form of tablets and capsules, but it can also be dissolved in a liquid. In this way, the active ingredient gets into the bloodstream and into the individual tissue cells.
There it is able to establish a bond with the different plasma proteins - more than 100 of them can be detected in total. Certain chemical processes would take place on these proteins without the administration of the drug. In turn, they can be the basis for the transport of pain and other sensations through the nervous system to the brain. By blocking the proteins, however, the perception of the symptoms is reduced.
The patient is placed in a calm state. The plasma proteins are also involved in the development of acute and chronic inflammation. Access by the aminophenazone consequently also reduces this risk. This means that wounds cannot spread in the further course. In addition, the occurring fever is prevented.
Medical application & use
The possible uses of aminophenazone were and are diverse. The remedy is used for illnesses associated with fever, pain and inflammation. Due to the calming effect, it was always used in small doses to support sleeping and anesthesia.
Thanks to the quick onset of the effect and the high level of absorption in the body, the remedy gained significant importance. It was also positive that the active ingredient seemed to get by largely without any spontaneous side effects. The use was consequently quite high until the 1960s and 1970s. Only a study published in the mid-1970s gave a concrete indication of the long-term side effects.
These could have a very dangerous to fatal character. The aminophenazone thus increasingly moved out of the focus of medical application. In some European countries it can no longer be found as a component of freely available drugs. It is therefore administered by doctors without exception - and even that only in very small doses that are reasonable at all times.
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➔ Medicines for painRisks & side effects
Mainly, the aminophenazone has two serious side effects. The first is the long-term reduction in the number of granulocytes in the blood. These belong to the group of white blood cells and are therefore involved in a strong immune system.
The reduction of these leads to a weakness in the body to defend itself against internal and external influences. The second effect is seen in a strong promotion of cancer-causing cells. Metastases could be detected in a disproportionately high number of users. This was also the case in patients who had only taken the aminophenazone to a small extent.
The side effects of the drug are therefore very intense and cannot be justified when used by laypeople. In terms of its long-term effect, the preparation seems to be more damaging than helpful in intervening in the organism.
