Chemotherapy and paracetamol or NSAIDs
If you are having chemotherapy, your doctor may tell you not to take paracetamol or NSAIDs. Or they may tell you to always check your temperature before you take them. This is because chemotherapy can make you more at risk of an infection. If you have an infection, paracetamol or NSAIDs can hide this by lowering your temperature and making you feel better, but they won’t cure the infection.
If your temperature is normal, it’s safe to take them. If it’s high, don’t take them and contact your chemotherapy team – they should have given you a phone number to call. If you are having chemotherapy, a high temperature is 37.5°C or 38°C, depending on the advice of your chemotherapy team.
If you’re not sure what to do, talk to your chemotherapy team. An infection is a medical emergency if you are having chemotherapy, and needs treating straight away.