The insanity happening at the highest levels of the US government is a serious matter. However, one of my closest family members is diagnosed with autism, and we have a good time dealing with it all using humor.
Best joke of 2025:
> My mom took Tylenol PM, so I only have autism at night.
The autism thing is ridiculous, but you should still stay away from Acetaminophen, because it's extremely hepatotoxic - arguably worse than alcohol if used chronically.
There is nothing so self-contradictory as espousing "zero alcohol is the only safe amount" while also packing away a gram of Acetaminophen per day for headaches.
Why don't you use the more universal name "balls"? Even the most illiterate folks know what "balls" are. I don't know anyone who calls them "bollocks".
> I dont know anyone who uses the name Acetaminophen.
You could literally just look the naming convention up in wikipedia:
> Paracetamol is the Australian Approved Name[170] and British Approved Name[171] as well as the international nonproprietary name used by the WHO and in many other countries; acetaminophen is the United States Adopted Name[171] and Japanese Accepted Name and also the name generally used in Canada,[171] Venezuela, Colombia, and Iran.[171][172] Both paracetamol and acetaminophen are contractions of chemical names for the compound. The word "paracetamol" is a shortened form of para-acetylaminophenol,[173] and was coined by Frederick Stearns & Co in 1956,[174] while the word "acetaminophen" is a shortened form of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP), which was coined and first marketed by McNeil Laboratories in 1955.
"Why don't these people use the more universal name cookies and instead refer to them as biscuits?"
In Europe it's paracetamol, in the US is acetaminophen, both represent the same thing and are not ambiguous. Plus, it's literally mentioned in the 1st paragraph, together with the brand name Tylenol.
In the Netherlands it's sometimes informally called "aspirin", even though that's a different chemical altogether. In Italy, the brand name Tachipirina is often used.
In the US as well, it's not too uncommon for "aspirin" to be used (especially by older folks) as a generic term for OTC painkillers. When someone says to "take an aspirin," they typically mean acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and probably don't know or care about the difference between the three.
Why use the shorter chemical names when you can use the IUPAC name: N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide. If you’re talking about a chemical rather than a product, there’s established nomenclature rules. Or, if you’re a computer type, use the SMILES notation CC(=O)Nc1ccc(O)cc1.
Please don't fulminate or instigate generic tangents on HN. The guidelines ask us to take care to keep discussions relevant to the topic of the article and to avoid commenting in a ragey, flamewar style.
I've never heard the word Paracetamol. I asked my wife, a nurse working on her Nurse Practitioner degree, if she knows what it is. She said: "Tylenol in the UK. I'm not sure why I know it, probably read it in a British book." So sounds like even in the medical profession here it's not well known.
I'm not from the USA, and here in fact Paracetamol is the term people know (well, they actually mostly knew the Ben-u-ron brand, but with the rise of generics Paracetamol seems more used now.)
However, from exposure to American culture in forums and whatnot, I was under the impression Acetaminophen was widely used over there.
The truth is our current administration has trouble enough with four syllable words. You really can't ask them to remember a new one, especially if it means the same as the North American one that they can almost pronounce[1].
Oh _that’s_ what paracetamol is! I’ve seen it in British shows and presumed it was some different chemical altogether! I’m one of the 700M speakers who only know it by acetaminophen.
The insanity happening at the highest levels of the US government is a serious matter. However, one of my closest family members is diagnosed with autism, and we have a good time dealing with it all using humor.
Best joke of 2025:
> My mom took Tylenol PM, so I only have autism at night.
The autism thing is ridiculous, but you should still stay away from Acetaminophen, because it's extremely hepatotoxic - arguably worse than alcohol if used chronically.
There is nothing so self-contradictory as espousing "zero alcohol is the only safe amount" while also packing away a gram of Acetaminophen per day for headaches.
Please don't spread more FUD.
It's only hepatoxic at high doses. Taking 1 or 2 Tylenol a day is not going to cause any problems.
good sources on this?
don't forget circumcision
[flagged]
> More Bollocks
Why don't you use the more universal name "balls"? Even the most illiterate folks know what "balls" are. I don't know anyone who calls them "bollocks".
> I dont know anyone who uses the name Acetaminophen.
Because you don't live in North America.
Because this is an American organization and we don't use the word "paracetamol" here. Every package says "acetaminophen".
This is an American author writing for an American publication about American policy. The article clearly should use American terminology.
You could literally just look the naming convention up in wikipedia:
> Paracetamol is the Australian Approved Name[170] and British Approved Name[171] as well as the international nonproprietary name used by the WHO and in many other countries; acetaminophen is the United States Adopted Name[171] and Japanese Accepted Name and also the name generally used in Canada,[171] Venezuela, Colombia, and Iran.[171][172] Both paracetamol and acetaminophen are contractions of chemical names for the compound. The word "paracetamol" is a shortened form of para-acetylaminophenol,[173] and was coined by Frederick Stearns & Co in 1956,[174] while the word "acetaminophen" is a shortened form of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP), which was coined and first marketed by McNeil Laboratories in 1955.
"Tylenol" is also a contraction of acetylaminophenol.
"Why don't these people use the more universal name cookies and instead refer to them as biscuits?"
In Europe it's paracetamol, in the US is acetaminophen, both represent the same thing and are not ambiguous. Plus, it's literally mentioned in the 1st paragraph, together with the brand name Tylenol.
In the Netherlands it's sometimes informally called "aspirin", even though that's a different chemical altogether. In Italy, the brand name Tachipirina is often used.
In the US as well, it's not too uncommon for "aspirin" to be used (especially by older folks) as a generic term for OTC painkillers. When someone says to "take an aspirin," they typically mean acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and probably don't know or care about the difference between the three.
Why use the shorter chemical names when you can use the IUPAC name: N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide. If you’re talking about a chemical rather than a product, there’s established nomenclature rules. Or, if you’re a computer type, use the SMILES notation CC(=O)Nc1ccc(O)cc1.
Very true. I refer to it by the InChI :
InChI=1S/C8H9NO2/c1-6(10)9-7-2-4-8(11)5-3-7/h2-5,11H,1H3,(H,9,10)
Or the key Key:RZVAJINKPMORJF-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Please don't fulminate or instigate generic tangents on HN. The guidelines ask us to take care to keep discussions relevant to the topic of the article and to avoid commenting in a ragey, flamewar style.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
I've never heard the word Paracetamol. I asked my wife, a nurse working on her Nurse Practitioner degree, if she knows what it is. She said: "Tylenol in the UK. I'm not sure why I know it, probably read it in a British book." So sounds like even in the medical profession here it's not well known.
This post is the first time I've ever heard of paracetamol, I've always called it acetaminophen
I'm not from the USA, and here in fact Paracetamol is the term people know (well, they actually mostly knew the Ben-u-ron brand, but with the rise of generics Paracetamol seems more used now.)
However, from exposure to American culture in forums and whatnot, I was under the impression Acetaminophen was widely used over there.
The truth is our current administration has trouble enough with four syllable words. You really can't ask them to remember a new one, especially if it means the same as the North American one that they can almost pronounce[1].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoDAFv_LS5A
FWIW I've never heard of Paracetamol, but have heard of Acetaminophen since an early age. Thanks US television ads!
Oh _that’s_ what paracetamol is! I’ve seen it in British shows and presumed it was some different chemical altogether! I’m one of the 700M speakers who only know it by acetaminophen.
Most of the bottles in America say Acetaminophen.