This information has been adapted from the pamphlet How Drugs Affect You: Analgesics (painkillers), produced by the Australian Drug Foundation. For single copies of this pamphlet phone 1300 85 85 84 or email druginfo@adf.org.au (Victoria only). Multiple copies are available from the ADF Bookshop.
What are analgesics?
Analgesics, also known as "painkillers", are used medically to relieve pain.
Many analgesics are relatively safe to use when taken as prescribed or instructed by your doctor or pharmacist, in conjunction with the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging. Some extra precautions may apply to patients with pre-existing medical conditions such as kidney failure or gastric ulcers.
What do they look like?
Analgesics are available in many forms. These include tablets, capsules, suppositories, soluble powders and liquids.
Some people may misuse analgesics, in error or deliberately. This page outlines some commonly used over-the-counter analgesics, including what they are used for, possible side effects and risks associated with using them outside the recommended doses. The painkillers covered are:
Each of these drugs are medicines that can be purchased "over the counter" from a supermarket or pharmacy. They are often combined with other medicines to make various other preparations such as cold and ’flu medicines and other medicinal products. For example, aspirin and codeine are ingredients in Codral Blue® and paracetamol, codeine and doxylamine are ingredients in Mersyndol®.
How are they used?
Medical uses
Analgesics are used to relieve pain. Some analgesics can also be used to reduce fever, to help relieve the symptoms of cold and ’flu, soothe swollen tissues, reduce inflammation, control diarrhoea, and as a cough suppressant.
Health professionals may also prescribe analgesics for a range of other medical conditions.
When taking any kind of medicine, including analgesics, it is important to follow carefully the directions of your health professional and those on the packaging of the analgesic. All medicines, even those that can be purchased without a prescription (over-the-counter medicines) have side effects that can damage your health.
Non-medical uses
Some people misuse analgesics. They may intentionally take more than the recommended dose, or they may take it for longer than the recommended period. Some people may also take analgesics when they do not need to, or they may use them in an attempt to become intoxicated. Misusing over-the-counter analgesics increases the risk of side effects and overdose, and can damage your health.
Non-medical analgesic use in Australia
According to the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey ¹:
- 3.1 per cent of the Australian population aged 14 years and older had used analgesics for non-medical purposes in the previous 12 months.
- Females (3.3 per cent) were more likely than males (2.9 per cent) to have used analgesics for non-medical purposes in the previous year.
- The highest proportion of people who had used analgesics for non-medical purposes in the previous year was the 14–19 year old female group, at 4.2 per cent.
Chemical and brand names
Analgesics are known by their chemical (generic) names and their brand or trade names. Some examples include:
| Generic name |
Brand/trade name/s |
| Aspirin |
Aspro Clear, Disprin |
| Aspirin and codeine |
Aspalgin, Codral Blue |
| Ibuprofen |
ACT-3, Brufen, Nurofen |
| Ibuprofen and codeine |
Nurofen Plus |
| Paracetamol |
Dymadon, Lemsip, Panadol, Panamax, Tylenol |
| Paracetamol and codeine |
Codral Pain Relief, Dymadon Co and Dymadon Forte, Panadeine Forte, Panamax Co |
| Paracetamol, codeine and doxylamine |
Mersyndol, Mersyndol Forte, Panalgesic |
Analgesics and other drugs
Combining analgesics with other drugs, including prescribed medicines, alcohol and illicit drugs, can alter the effects, sometimes with unpredictable consequences.
Here are a few examples of the many interactions of analgesics and other drugs:
- Drinking alcohol while taking certain analgesics such as aspirin and ibuprofen can increase the risk of gut irritation and discomfort.
- Some analgesics, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, can alter the effects of some blood pressure medicines and may increase bleeding tendencies associated with medicines such as warfarin.
- Taking codeine with some medicines, such as sedatives, certain antidepressants and certain antihistamines, can increase the sedative effects and reduce the breathing rate.
- Naltrexone blocks the effects of codeine and other opioids.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
There is generally no increased risk of birth defects associated with taking over-the-counter analgesics while pregnant. However, there are some risks in using analgesics during pregnancy or breastfeeding, including:
- Premature closing of the heart duct through which blood bypasses the lungs of the foetus. This can be caused by some analgesics such as aspirin and ibuprofen if taken late in pregnancy.
- Prolonged labour with related bleeding difficulties, due to using some analgesics such as aspirin and ibuprofen close to the birth.
- Withdrawal symptoms in the baby after birth if the mother has taken large doses of codeine late in the pregnancy.
Always check with your health professional if you are taking, or planning to take, any substances while pregnant or breastfeeding, including prescribed and over-the-counter medications.
More on alcohol, other drugs and pregnancy
Reducing the risks
Follow carefully the directions of your health professional, or on the packaging of the analgesic, and do not exceed the recommended dose. If you are concerned about the amount of analgesics you are taking, talk to a health professional.
All medicines, including those that can be purchased over the counter, can have side effects and can damage your health if they are misused.
¹Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, Detailed findings, Canberra: AIHW, 2005