Complex Numbers

Hammer and Advil

One of my favorite tropes is the mad scientist who, when no one believes them, tests the creation on themselves. In stories, that rarely ends well. In real life... well, it usually doesn't end well there, either. But here's an exception... sort of.

    The Inventor of Ibuprofen Tested the Drug on His Own Hangover  
Stewart Adams’ headache subsided—and his over-the-counter pain reliever became one of the world’s most popular medications

A hangover cure—that is, a real one, not the folk remedies like "mix a raw egg with last week's coffee grinds" nonsense—is one of the most important inventions one can make. This is not only because it pisses off the puritans who get apoplectic when someone's not punished for having a good time, but that's a huge bonus.

In retrospect, perhaps toasting the success of a new medication he helped invent with several shots of vodka in Moscow was not a good idea.

Are you kidding me? That would be epically awesome! Well, not while there's a war going on over there, but any other time.

English research scientist Stewart Adams was faced with the consequences of his actions: a serious hangover.

But what if there doesn't have to be consequences?

He reached for that new drug and swallowed a 600-milligram dose.

For reference, most OTC ibuprofen comes in 200mg tablets, and the usual dose is 2 pills for 400mg. I've been prescribed as much as 800mg by dentists and the like. So this is not outside of the realm of sanity, mad scientist trope aside.

Stewart Adams and his associate John Nicholson invented a pharmaceutical drug known as 2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propionic acid. It was later renamed ibuprofen and is now one of the world’s most popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)...

Sadly, my doctor insists I shouldn't be taking NSAIDs unless they're prescribed. She had no comment on my drinking, though.

Stewart Adams began his career in pharmaceuticals at the young age of 16, when he started an apprenticeship at a drug store owned by Boots UK Limited, then known as Boots the Chemist. He went on to earn a degree in pharmacy at the University of Nottingham and then received his PhD in pharmacology at the University of Leeds.

Looks like he was one of the most British people to ever Brit.

Now if someone could explain to me why they call that other pain relief medicine acetaminophen here, but paracetamol over there, that'd be great. I can't be arsed to look it up.