This is probably the worst example to choose, because in the US the generic name is acetaminophen. This is a case where the brand name actually unites understanding of a drug whose chemical name differs by location.

That being said, I still agree with the spirit, let’s stick to referring to the drug and not the brand.

In France there are plenty of people who ask for Dafalgan or neurofen but have no idea what paracetamol or ibuprofen are.

do you know why theres no aspirin in the jungle?

cause parrots eat em all

I use the American brand names when talking about meds on the internet.

I've never taken trade-name Tylenol, Benadryl, Advil (without pseudoephedrine), Xanax, Effexor, Prozac nor Klonopin.

But those are the names I'd use when discussing them to "blend in". If I start talking about panado or rivotril I may cause confusion. The API names are also just a fucking mouthful.

I wrote it myself. What's wrong with it??

Corporations have spent lots of money for their brands to be household names.

Corporations are terrified of their name becoming genericized, though. At least in the US, a company can lose it's protection of the use of their name if they don't fight it being used for things that are not their product. For example, "Dumpster" used to be a trademarked name for a large outdoor garage bin. It became so popular that every large outdoor garbage bin was called a dumpster, and now everyone making and selling them can call it a dumpster without getting sued

Isn't Paracetamol a brand name for acetaminophen?

Edit: just googled it, apparently they're both generic names for the same thing (like aspirin / acetylsalicylic acid)

generics are the exact same drug

Yes but. From what I've heard, sometimes when switching to a generic, there might be subtle differences in manufacturing that affect how an individual absorbs it. For something minor - an off the shelf pain killer - probably not a problem. For someone where it's imperative that they maintain a certain blood level of the drug, some caution is a good idea.

TIL that Tylenol is just how americans call paracetamol

Tell that to the copyright lawyers

I didn't know we could be all snobby about allergy meds, but I learn something new everyday.

haha, no...I'm just autistic

Antihistamine is the type of drug, or it’s “family. It describes what is does biochemically. That’s like using “antibiotic” when you are looking for doxycycline.

Antihystamine is very specific. Antihistamine is quite generic and it depends on whether you want to treat allergies or schizophrenia. Here is a list from Wikipedia of the most common type of antihistamines (targeting the H¹ receptor)

List of H1 antagonists/inverse agonists

Acrivastine
Alimemazine (a phenothiazine used as antipruritic, antiemetic and sedative)
Amitriptyline (tricyclic antidepressant)
Amoxapine (tricyclic antidepressant)
Aripiprazole (atypical antipsychotic, trade name: Abilify)
Azelastine
Bilastine
Bromodiphenhydramine (Bromazine)
Brompheniramine
Buclizine
Carbinoxamine
Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
Chlophedianol (Clofedanol)
Chlorodiphenhydramine[12]
Chlorpheniramine
Chlorpromazine (low-potency typical antipsychotic, also used as an antiemetic)
Chlorprothixene (low-potency typical antipsychotic, trade name: Truxal)
Chloropyramine (first generation antihistamine marketed in Eastern Europe)
Cinnarizine (also used for motion sickness and vertigo)
Clemastine
Clomipramine (tricyclic antidepressant)
Clozapine (atypical antipsychotic; trade name: Clozaril)
Cyclizine
Cyproheptadine
Desloratadine
Dexbrompheniramine
Dexchlorpheniramine
Dimenhydrinate (used as an antiemetic and for motion sickness)
Dimetindene
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
Dosulepin (tricyclic antidepressant)
Doxepin (tricyclic antidepressant)
Doxylamine (most commonly used as an over-the-counter sedative)
Ebastine
Embramine
Fexofenadine (Allegra/Telfast)
Fluoxetine
Hydroxyzine (also used as an anxiolytic and for motion sickness; trade names: Atarax, Vistaril)
Imipramine (tricyclic antidepressant)
Ketotifen
Levocabastine (Livostin/Livocab)
Levocetirizine (Xyzal)
Levomepromazine (low-potency typical antipsychotic)
Loratadine (Claritin)
Maprotiline (tetracyclic antidepressant)
Meclizine (most commonly used as an antiemetic)
Mianserin (tetracyclic antidepressant)
Mirtazapine (tetracyclic antidepressant, also has antiemetic and appetite-stimulating effects; trade name: Remeron)
Olanzapine (atypical antipsychotic; trade name: Zyprexa)
Olopatadine (used locally)
Orphenadrine (a close relative of diphenhydramine used mainly as a skeletal muscle relaxant and anti-Parkinsons agent)
Periciazine (low-potency typical antipsychotic)
Phenindamine
Pheniramine
Phenyltoloxamine
Promethazine (Phenergan)
Pyrilamine (crosses the blood–brain barrier; produces drowsiness)
Quetiapine (atypical antipsychotic; trade name: Seroquel)
Rupatadine (Alergoliber)
Setastine (Loderix)
Setiptiline (or teciptiline, a tetracyclic antidepressant, trade name: Tecipul)
Trazodone (SARI antidepressant/anxiolytic/hypnotic with mild H1 blockade action)
Tripelennamine
Triprolidine

To me, it's not specific enough because it doesn't identify the active ingredient.