# Aspirin as a pain killer **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886 "2018-06-28T02:20:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/1 "2018-06-28T02:20:29Z")
Hello Everyone, When I was a kid, I remember my mom giving me aspirin for fevers and occasional pains. But I don’t remember if aspirin actually ever helped with pain. Does it? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/2 "2018-06-28T02:26:35Z")
Works for me. Quite well, in fact. Much better than Tylenol does, and much easier on the liver. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/3 "2018-06-28T02:31:07Z")
Yep it works. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/4 "2018-06-28T03:24:02Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/5 "2018-06-28T03:27:22Z")
Yes ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/6 "2018-06-28T03:46:04Z")
It’s an anti-inflammatory, and the answer is yes. My migraines are not painful, but they are uncomfortable, and aspirin works so well for them, I refuse to try anything else. Now we know not to give aspirin to children without a doctor’s recommendation because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome, but my parents did give it to me, mainly because children’s acetaminophen was not as readily available. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/7 "2018-06-28T04:50:17Z")
Yes, it certainly has an effect on pain. The best? I doubt that. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/8 "2018-06-28T04:59:13Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > But I don’t remember if aspirin actually ever helped with pain. Does it? It does for me and it works [generally](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10796855). But it may not for you. People experience pain differently and not everyone responds to every pain-killer. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/9 "2018-06-28T04:59:30Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > Hello Everyone, > > When I was a kid, I remember my mom giving me aspirin for fevers and occasional pains. But I don’t remember if aspirin actually ever helped with pain. Does it? Since it wouldn’t be allowed to be sold as a painkiller if it didn’t, the factual answer is “yes.” Since answers with otherwise be anecdotal, let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/10 "2018-06-28T12:59:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Works for me. Quite well, in fact. Much better than Tylenol does, and much easier on the liver. Same ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/11 "2018-06-28T13:27:26Z")
Almost the same for me. It works _second_ best of all non-narcotic painkillers _except_ acetaminophen, but I use aspirin anyway because it is easier on the liver, with the exception of when I have a fever in which case it is APAP. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/12 "2018-06-28T13:56:05Z")
As a kid my mom would give me aspirin occasionally and I don’t remember it working great, but it was better than nothing. Since I never get headaches it would be for when I skinned my knee or elbow after a fall. Once Tylenol came out she never used Aspirin again because “hospital’s prefer Tylenol” or so the ads told us. I think aspirin was considered old fashioned at that point. BTW I have been taking a baby aspirin (81 mg) every day on doctor’s orders as a mild blood thinner for many years, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/13 "2018-06-28T14:07:54Z")
As a kid, I always had the orange baby aspirin when I was sick. Aspirin is what I use now for headaches. Tylenol, Advil or Aleve don’t usually help with headaches for me. If I have a muscle ache tho I will use one of them - usually Aleve. Does anyone remember getting fever powders as a kid back in the 60’s and early 70’s? They were a prescription and came in a small cardboard box. Each dose was in a paper wrapper kind of like a gum wrapper. My mom would mix it in pudding or OJ. A couple of times she tried to give it to me in a spoonful of jelly :eek:. When I think back now, I’m guessing they were just crushed up aspirin. They were very bitter tasting. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/14 "2018-06-28T14:15:02Z")
Aspirin is the most effective pain killer I have found even more so than narcotics. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/15 "2018-06-28T14:37:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Works for me. Quite well, in fact. Much better than Tylenol does, and much easier on the liver. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/16 "2018-06-28T14:40:52Z")
Speaking only for myself, it’s my best option for mild headaches. When my back acts up, though, that pain just laughs at aspirin. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/17 "2018-06-28T14:50:01Z")
There is actually some danger in giving it to children, due to Reye’s syndrome. So I didn’t take it as a kid. But I do use it for pain medicine sometimes as an adult, and it works as well as the others. The main concern is stomach stuff and not being able to take Pepto Bismol at the same time. To me, ibuprofen has a very slight stimulant effect, so I take aspirin as my choice of NSAID when I want to avoid that. Usually this is when acetaminophen isn’t available, it’s a pain that it doesn’t work on, or I’m doing the whole stagger dosage to get better pain coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/18 "2018-06-28T14:52:51Z")
It’s not by go to for pain, but as an anti inflammatory it’s sure to help relieve it. One of our dogs sometimes limps for an unknown reason and our vet has suggested giving him a baby aspirin. It really seems to help. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/19 "2018-06-28T15:03:17Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Does anyone remember getting fever powders as a kid back in the 60’s and early 70’s? They were a prescription and came in a small cardboard box. Each dose was in a paper wrapper kind of like a gum wrapper. My mom would mix it in pudding or OJ. A couple of times she tried to give it to me in a spoonful of jelly :eek:. When I think back now, I’m guessing they were just crushed up aspirin. They were very bitter tasting. Sounds like Goody or BC Headache Powders. My mom used to give them to me for migraines and tell me to hold the powder under my tongue. They’re really great. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886/20 "2018-06-28T15:59:35Z")
_Astin_ is wonderful stuff. > [@Stephen King](#): > > “Life is good. So is _astin_. There’s some of it left.” > > “Aspirin, you mean.” > > Roland nodded. A pill of magical properties, but one of the words from Jake’s world he would never be able to say correctly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-as-a-pain-killer/816886.md?page=2)