system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What is the difference between "targeted relief" painkillers and the generic painkillers?

I saw an advert for Nurofen period pain targeted relief pain killers and I wondered what the difference was between that specific Nurofen tablet and the other plain version? From my knowledge, isn't there some sort of molecule in the tablet that will bind to a receptor in the brain to alleviate pain? How is the tablet specifically targeting, in this case, period pains? Does it also purposefully interact with the female reproductive system? 

Similarly for headaches and other problems, if I took a tablet to alleviate headache pain, would that help at all with say a sore throat?
gpt
That's actually pretty controversial. Nurofen is just ibuprofen. Ibuprofen doesn't do anything specific for pain or discomfort associated with menstruation.

But the thing is, ibuprofen *has* been demonstrated to relieve pain associated with menstruation … just the same way it relieves most other types of pain. So it's entirely truthful for the makers of Nurofen to advertise that their product is for relief from menstrual pain. Because it works fine for that.

No, there's no molecule in the tablet that binds to any receptors in the brain. Ibuprofen works by deactivating an enzyme called *cyclooxygenase* which is a precursor to hormones called *prostaglandins.* Prostaglandins are part of the body's inflammatory response; that response causes discomfort in varying degrees. Inhibiting the body's production of prostaglandins reduces the body's inflammatory response, which almost as a side-effect relieves the pain associated with inflammation.

Basically the mechanism of all NSAIDs — non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen — is largely the same. The differences between them are pretty subtle. So yes, taking an ibuprofen (or aspirin, or naproxen, or any of the other zillion drugs in that class) will help relieve a sore throat. It isn't the *best* way to relieve a sore throat; other medications are better at relieving pain, but they come with various interactions and possible side-effects. So the various NSAIDs with their anti-inflammatory properties remain the best overall way to relieve minor pain.