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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Courtney Pochin & Lottie Gibbons

Pharmacist confirms whether ibuprofen or paracetamol is better for colds and flu

If you've recently been feeling ill, you're not alone.

Following the cold snap, people have reported coughs, headaches and runny noses with many taking to social media to share their tales of woe.

However, one pharmacist has clarified whether paracetamol or ibuprofen is more beneficial - and debunked a misconception. Speaking to the Mirror, Abbas Kanani the superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click shared what to take if you have a cold or flu.

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There are a number of over-the-counter medicines which claim to treat everything from runny noses to achy muscle pains. With so much to choose from, it can be tough to know which ones are the best.

When ill, many people think that it's a toss up between the two tablets, but the specialist has clarified that both can be taken together to offer different results.

Mr Kanani said: "Paracetamol is probably more effective at bringing down temperature, so it's almost like a double-whammy, you get rid of your headache and bring your temperature down.

"But if you feel that you have more body aches, that's your main symptom, then ibuprofen is probably slightly better as it's an anti-inflammatory."

The expert goes on to warn that people are careful when taking ibuprofen as many are allergic to the class of drug that it belongs to. However, he claims that what most people don't know is that you can actually take the two medicines together when you're feeling really rubbish.

He said: "If you feel that one isn't enough you can take ibuprofen as well as paracetamol, you can take them together. A lot of people don't know that it's not one or the other, you can put them together as they work in different ways."

While these two medicines will help with aches and pains and temperatures, as well as mild cold and flu symptoms, Abbas adds that they won't do much for those suffering with coughs and nasal congestion.

To relieve these specific symptoms you'd need to use cold and flu products instead.

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