| Princesslinda, from bupa.co.uk:
"Paracetamol is a painkiller, more technically described as a non-opioid analgesic. As a painkiller, it's similar in strength to aspirin, but does not have the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin."
Hope that helps!
With regards to things you can take for a head cold, I personally take the normal kinds of medicene that everybody takes - looking out for sugar free types of throat tablets etc.
I looked in to this sort of thing a while back and I came to the conclusion that you can choose to take the standard kinds of medicenes that non-diabetics take but ensure that you monitor your BG levels as they can effect your BG levels.
I did try and find out if it is likely that they will lower or raise your BG levels and the answer I got was that for some people they might raise them and others they might lower them! That's why testing/monitoring your own BG is needed so you can learn how you react to them!
If in doubt, ask your doctor the next time you see them. | 
