Pain, Pain Go Away... In 5 Minutes.

We often hear people say, “No pain, no gain” but the truth is, if we don’t do anything about the pain, the only thing we will gain is more pain.

Head and neck aching from a long day at work? You are not alone. But it doesn’t mean you have to ignore it.

According to a recent study, seven out of 10 Filipinos suffer from headaches every day, while over half have experienced muscle aches and other forms of pain in the past three months.

Pain leads to spasms, and those spasms often lead to more pain creating a vicious cycle.

But instead of taking medicine, a lot of people just try to endure, or sleep through the pain for fear of being dependent on pain killers or its side effects.

Unfortunately , pain that is left untreated becomes and chronic pain is more difficult and longer to treat. It can even develop into a learned pain or an automatic response of the body when something similar hits its system.

“We have to break the cycle by taking pain relievers that are fast-acting,” explains Dr. Lyde M. Alday-Magpantay, vice president of the Pain Society of the Philippines and diplomate of the Philippine Board of Pain Medicine. Dr. Magpantay was one of the speakers during GSK’s launch of Panadol (paracetamol) with OptiZorb.

She said the modern approach to pain is for the patient to take effective pain medication such as paracetamol round the clock.

“Paracetamol can be taken for long periods of time. A maximum of eight pills daily is tolerable as pre-emptive medicine; arresting the pain before it hits the chronic sufferer,” she added.

Unlike other pain killers, Panadol can be taken on an empty stomach and works in as fast as five minutes.

 I often encountered Panadol while I was still working as a medical transcriptionist a few years back. It was one of the most common medicines taken by US patients who suffer from pain. The brand, however, isn’t available locally and many Filipinos would ask their relatives in the US, Hong Kong or Singapore to buy it for them.

Panadol is one of the world’s leading paracetamol-based pain relievers and is sold in more than 85 countries. Last year alone, 15 billion (paracetamol) Panadol tablets were sold worldwide.

“Pain is one of the greatest personal, social and economic burdens faced by people around the world,” said John Sayers, President Consumer Healthcare, Asia, Pacific and Latin America, GSK.

“Panadol has helped people find pain relief across 85 countries for over 50 years and we are pleased to bring this leading paracetamol brand to Philippines’ consumers,” Sayers said during the launch.

This is a significant milestone for GSK in line with our global commitment to help people do more, feel better and live longer.”

And the Philippines wouldn’t just be getting one of the most trusted pain medicines, according to the GSK executive, the new Panadol with Optizorb is their best formulation which starts releasing the pain relieving power of paracetamol in five minutes.

“The brand is testament to our customers’ trust and faith in the product which boasts an extensive scientific research breakthrough such as the Optizorb technology in our new Panadol which is the first and only paracetamol product that contains Optizorb,” added Sayers.

Panadol with Optizorb is the only paracetamol brand with the unique Optizorb disintegration system which allows the release of its medicine in as little as five minutes vs. regular paracetamol tablets. Studies conducted by GSK have proven that 75 percent of people who take Panadol with Optizorb caplets reach pain relieving levels of paracetamol in the bloodstream significantly faster than those taking other generic pain relieving brands.

With a greater rate of absorption, (paracetamol) Panadol with Optizorb delivers therapeutic concentrations to most people suffering from a variety of pain even those with common medical conditions, such as stomach problems and heart disease.

Panadol with Optizorb also has the broad suitability associated with standard paracetamol . This means that it is well tolerated and will not irritate the stomach when used as directed.

"Following a study conducted in Philippines, we found that seven out of ten Filipinos suffer from regular headaches, and over half from muscle aches and pains in the past three months. These pain sufferers have indicated fast relief of pain is of core importance and this has encouraged us to provide a fast and effective solution like Panadol with Optizorb to alleviate this health condition,” said JeoffreyYulo, General Manager Consumer Healthcare, GSK Philippines.

Panadol is a paracetamol based analgesic and provides fast, effective temporary relief of pain and discomfort associated with: headache, tension headache, period pain, cold and flu symptoms, migraine headache, muscular aches, arthritis/osteoarthritis, backache, and toothache.

Panadol also helps to reduce fever. It is also a good choice of pain reliever for people with sensitive stomachs, stomach ulcers and other stomach disorders. Panadol can also be used by breast feeding women. ents. It has immunity resistance with antibiotics. If you have a liver problem and is suspected to have to , it is best to seek a Physician for further advise.

Panadol with Optizorb will be available at all leading drugstores nationwide, starting February 2014. For more information on pain management, visit www.Panadol.com.