# Worldwide Dopers: do you take aspirin for headaches? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767 "2009-09-27T19:11:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/21 "2009-09-28T07:19:24Z")
Yes, aspirin and paracetamol are commonly taken for headaches in India. Ibuprofen is the most commonly taken painkiller. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/22 "2009-09-28T07:30:03Z")
In Australia any of Aspirin, Paracetamol, or Codeine are taken as pain relief. Codeine is available over the counter here. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/23 "2009-09-28T07:33:13Z")
Down in Southeast Asia, we have something called [Pandol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panadol). It’s the cure-all for headaches, muscle aches, fever and help to suppress flu etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/24 "2009-09-30T03:33:35Z")
I used to but sometimes I’d have the tablet in my mouth too long. It tastes absolutely disgusting, so I changed to a paracetamol tablet (Codalgin) which doesn’t start me foaming at the mouth or threatening to throw up. Just because, you know, sometimes there are other symptoms that appear when one has a headache. There is still a reasonable amount of advertising for aspirin products, mostly Disprin branded, in various strengths and supposed stomach friendliness. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/25 "2009-09-30T04:36:50Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/26 "2009-09-30T05:54:32Z")
Just a triple check from Oz. Aspirin is still accepted as a painkiller for headaches, however I would think that most people would consider it a bit old fashioned, and probably more importantly not ‘strong’ enough. I can’t remember the last time I saw any company advertising an Aspirin product. Far and away the most popular pain medications now are Paracetemol and Ibuprofen (both with and without Codeine). And I suspect that with the large amount of advertising from the main two pharmaceutical companies for ‘extra-strength’, ‘rapid-relief’, blah blah blah of those products is partly responsable for Aspirin being relegated to an also ran choice in pain relief. ---
**Author:** ![imfloating](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bc79bd/32.png) [@imfloating](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imfloating)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/27 "2009-09-30T07:11:34Z")
In the southern U.S. it’s Goody’s Headache Powders. I ordered them by mail for years, but now they’re starting to show up in various pharmacies in the north probably due to the exposure they get with NASCAR. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/28 "2009-09-30T10:06:23Z")
I take codeine (myprodol or syndol) ---
**Author:** ![SunSandSuffering](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/29 "2009-09-30T10:39:51Z")
Very common to take aspirin in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/30 "2009-09-30T11:04:46Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Very rare to find actual _Aspirin_ (mumble-mumble-whatever-Acid) here\* anymore – mostly we take either Paracetamol or Ibuprofen for headaches. > > I’m old enough to remember when the **only** cure for a headache was Aspirin, however… > > \*ETA: Here = Israel. Aspirin is still recommended for muscle aches and the like, at least based on my own experiences. It has a reputation for being bad for your stomach, though, so it’s basically a last resort before you go see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/31 "2009-09-30T11:15:52Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > “is aspirin considered to be a useful headache medicine in your country?” Yes. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/32 "2009-10-01T00:39:51Z")
Here in the UK most people either take aspirin or one of various products based on ibuprofen. I personally don’t use anything, because (a) I just about never get headaches, no matter what, and (b) on the rare occasions that I do, the tablets never seem to have any effect anyway so I just wait until it passes. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/33 "2009-10-01T03:44:34Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever taken aspirin for a headache (I’m in the U.S.). Years ago, I would have taken Tylenol, but now my go-to is Excedrin, which is a combination of aspirin, acetaminophen, & caffeine. Works like a charm. When we moved to Australia, we brought a big jumbo-sized bottle with us. We offered them up to our friends one morning, after a particularly long night on the piss. They referred to them as the miracle pills from then on. They were very impressed with the Excedrin. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/34 "2009-10-01T04:16:55Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever taken aspirin for a headache (I’m in the U.S.). Years ago, I would have taken Tylenol, but now my go-to is Excedrin, which is a combination of aspirin, acetaminophen, & caffeine. Works like a charm. When we moved to Australia, we brought a big jumbo-sized bottle with us. We offered them up to our friends one morning, after a particularly long night on the piss. They referred to them as the miracle pills from then on. They were very impressed with the Excedrin. A similar analgesic used to be available here. Pain relievers with three ingredients are now available only by prescription. Those with two ingredients (eg aspirin and codeine or paracetamol and codeine are only available in pharmacies. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/35 "2009-10-01T04:46:02Z")
My wife tells me that in Russia, they took aspirin for headaches. She had never used anything else. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/36 "2009-10-01T05:18:12Z")
When I lived in Hungary, aspirin was commonly available, especially in Alka-Seltzer-like forms, often fortified with Vitamin C. It was taken for headaches, bodyaches, and fever. And tripe soup is indeed an awesome hangover cure, best taken in the form of the Mexican version, menudo. 😉 So the Bulgarians are half right. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/37 "2009-10-01T06:12:22Z")
Thank you for the input, everyone. As usual, I have no idea why Bulgarians do anything. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/38 "2009-10-01T07:53:47Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Thank you for the input, everyone. As usual, I have no idea why Bulgarians do anything. As to the sheep’s stomach soup curing hangovers folk wisdom (although I’ve only had it with cow’s stomach), it’s quite common to find hangover cures around the world that are based on a combination of a soup (or other food) with acidic and salt components, and sometimes hot peppers (as the Wikipedia article suggests). Menudo, the Mexican take on shkembe chorba, is beef tripe (cow stomach) with a number of ingredients, including hot peppers and limes. Romania is also about the tripe soup. The Hungarian hangover cure, _korhelyleves_, is a pork-and-sauerkraut soup, with an optional hot pepper component. Another common folk cure for hangovers (which I like, as disgusting as it sounds) is the pickling liquor from a jar of pickles. This tends to be attributed to the Poles (my people, or technically my parent’s people). Germans like pickled herring for this application. There seems to be a lot of cultures that like that mix of acidity and salt to alleviate hangovers. It’s not terribly unusual. Even American hangover cures, whether they be a big breakfast of bacon and eggs with a glass of orange juice or a greasy cheeseburger from McDonald’s, really tend to emphasize salt and acidity somewhat. When I have that cotton-mouth morning after feeling, plain liquids just don’t do it for me. I need the salt and sour to scrub my mouth and alleviate my thirst for more than a few minutes at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Neverending\_Elbow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e274bd/32.png) [@Neverending\_Elbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverending_Elbow)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/39 "2009-10-01T11:15:36Z")
In Poland aspirin is easily available and, indeed, it is used for headaches, though more often it is used as a remedy for common cold ailments, and taken diluted in water by means of a fizzy tablet. The preferred drug for headaches is something which contains either ibuprofen or paracetamol. It’s also true that pickle water is a known hangover remedy, though I don’t personally know anyone who has used it, and it’s mostly used in joking references about someone’s unfortunate state. 🙂 Another such cure is water from sauerkraut. An important thing to note is that it has to be water from _ogórki kiszone_ and not _ogórki konserwowe_, a difference difficult to get trough in English as both terms are translated as ‘pickled’. It appears the main difference is that _konserwowe_ are treated with a certain pasteurization technique, and _kiszone_ just ferment. Now, if you’re ever hangover in Poland and want to give this remedy a try you know which pickles to ask for in a shop. One more note about this cure - pickles of both varieties are a popular and traditional snack to have with vodka. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767/40 "2009-10-01T13:43:02Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > In 2006, I was taking intensive Bulgarian When I read this I thought “What is “intensive Bulgarian” and why would anyone take it for headaches? Must be some new wonder supplement.” It’s news to me that Bulgarians are so physiologically unique that aspirin doesn’t relieve their pain. Maybe that’s because the idea is hogwash. I also find it difficult to believe that even in countries where “paracetamol” (I’ve never taken this exotic drug, though I’ve used acetominophen :D) is preferred over aspirin, no one uses aspirin for other things besides headaches - for example as a low-dose daily supplement to help prevent stroke or for more controversial uses like lowering colon cancer risk. It’s good to be aware that both aspirin and acetominophen/paracetamol carry risks - aspirin primarily in the area of gastric irritation/ulcers (ibuprofen and similar NSAIDS also pose hazards in this area) and acetominophen in terms of liver toxicity. In the U.S. there are many multi-agent cold relievers that contain acetominophen, and people who aren’t aware of this also take acetominophen in the form of Tylenol or a generic, and wind up in the ER if they dose themselves too heavily. If I’ve got a run-of-the-mill headache, aspirin is my number one choice. You can get lots of them little white pills in a bottle for very little dough if you buy the cheap stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-dopers-do-you-take-aspirin-for-headaches/511767.md?page=3)