Got Pain?

Got Pain? Well my favorite organic molecule, acetaminophen, should be able to help you with that. Having the opportunity to work in a pharmacy over the summer, I saw in reality how demanding this organic molecule was. Acetaminophen is sold over the counter mainly in Tylenol and prescribed in Percocet as a higher dose. Tylenol is used to treat the common headache and fever, whereas Percocet is used to treat more of a critical pain, it's a control substance. Acetaminophen was originated in the early 1800's as a pain reliever.
Around 1950, it was approved by The US Food and Drug Administration to be a safe an effective pain reliever. It is usually found in tablet form, but it is also available in liquid and injection form. The chemical formula is C₈H₉NO_2. During my time in the pharmacy, I found out that medications with acetaminophen in it were very popular. Being used as a pain reliever and a fever reducer, those drugs were the most common purchased. A health fact that I had to remind patients of was that if taken at higher doses than prescribed, it can be toxic to parts of the body such as the liver. This molecule allowed me to know that my decision of pharmacy was the right choice for me. It's my favorite molecule because I worked with it closely and it allowed me the opportunity to work closely with patients.

Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-362/acetaminophen-oral/details
http://www.chemistryexplained.com/A-Ar/Acetaminophen.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a681004.html