Why is Advil so much more effective than tylenol?!

Tylenol is also bad for your liver and it accrues over time, throughout your life. I don't think you should take it at all if you can help it.

OP is an idiot.

OP is exactly right.

We all react to meds differently.

OP: Are you a Pfizer rep disguised as an innocent DL-er?

Advil also has a sweet coating

R1 - MD from Reddit School of Medicine

Excedrin -a combination that includes acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine - is supposed to be the top rated for curing headaches. The caffeine is apparently useful

R7 it's fact, Google it.

Advil is my go to. Was art an office yesterday and got a major headache... all they had was Tylenol. Didn't do the trick.

PS. lol r6

Advil can fuck up your stomach though if you take too much of it, just a warning.

Tylenol NEVER worked for me. Advil or plain old aspirin works best. And yes, caffeine is great for a headache.

Excedrin is like a miracle for headaches.

I stand corrected, r9. You got your degree from Google Medical School.

Taking OTC analgesics once in a while is safe. Liver disease from acetaminophen occurs with excessive use.

Advil is a NSAID, while Tylenol is a pain reliever. Advil reduces inflammation, so it is more effective at reducing pain.

In some migraineurs, caffeine actually triggers migraines, r12.

Tylenol is poison but unfortunately I can no longer take Advil.

I worked on the Tylenol case.

I'll bite-what the hell is the Tylenol case?

R15, your statement does not make sense.

Tylenol case - drug tampering of Tylenol sold in drugstores in the 1970's -1980s.

r19 I meant they both relieve pain, but Advil works to reduce inflammation too, which is why it's more powerful.

Is that someone laced Tylenol with cyanide, R17?

Wasn't ME!!!

Well I found out something I didn’t know because of this thread. I looked up Advil history and discovered ibuprofen was invented in Britain and was available there years before North America.

Definitely Advil for me, I don't like Tylenol.

222 all you bitches.

R21, for pain associated inflammation (arthritis), NSAIDs like Advil are theoretically better. But your run of the mill headache is not an inflammatory process, so an anti-inflammatory won't necessarily be more effective than acetaminophen.

R14 it accrues in your system over your lifetime. So the more you take the more likely for liver damage. Where did you get YOUR medical degree? I have heard this from RNs.

What R27 said. They are different medications that do different things.

I take 400 mg Advil 3 times a day for my issues. It works on inflammation.

I take Tylenol for pain

NSAIDS (like Advil or Motrin) can ruin one's kidneys too, there is always a price to pay each time we reach for a pain pill. It does work better for me too, yet I am judicious when I do decide to take it.

"Acetaminophen is a very safe drug when taken as directed, EVEN FOR PEOPLE WITH LIVER DISEASE. Liver damage from acetaminophen, which can be severe, can result either from an overdose or from regular doses that are taken while drinking alcohol." From MedicineNet

The drug accumulation you speak of refers to excessive and/or daily use (usually over 3000mg/day), NOT occasional use. Context is important. It's all on google, you knew that, right?

Shame on your nurse friends for giving you false information. And guess what, NSAIDs carry a risk of heart disease and stroke. The FDA actually issued a warning on this. Did your nurse friends inform you about this? And guess what, the standard pain med protocol given to hospital patients is Tylenol, not Advil.

[quote]Excedrin is like a miracle for headaches.

Agreed.

Anacin is my go-to.

Advil helps with toothaches, too but generic ibuprofen not so much. For moi that is.

What R27 said. Tylenol is fine for headaches. Actually what I wind up doing is alternating Tylenol and Advil if necessary when I have one of my headache episodes that lasts a day. They work on different pathways so it’s ok to alternate them. Advil, aspirin, and Alleve irritate my stomach too much to take them frequently. Tylenol is better in that respect. I think Tylenol is shown to be better for fevers.

Excedrin is the best headache medicine.

You all know you can taken Tylenol with Ibuprofen, right? Since they work differently, the combination can be effective for some pain conditions. Just don’t take NSAIDs together. And know if your prescribed medication also contains an NSAID or Tylenol in it so as not to double up.

[quote] it accrues in your system over your lifetime. So the more you take the more likely for liver damage. Where did you get YOUR medical degree? I have heard this from RNs.

No it does not "accrue in your system over a lifetime". Actually if you take acetaminophen chronically, your body gets used to metabolizing it. That's why drug addicts who take Vicodin (hydrocodone & acetaminophen) can build up a tolerance of 30 to 60 pills a day. Rush Limbaugh took 90 pills a day. That's taking 90 tablets of extra strength Tylenol a day over a period of years. The body metabolizes and eliminates Acetaminophen from the body completely in 10 to 20 hours. And once it's out of your body, it's out of your body. Trust me, it doesn't magically stick around the body forever

And I don't really give a shit what some nurse with a 2 year degree told you. I have my PhD in Pharmacy. And I did a residency at Cornell Medical School

I'm deathly allergic to all NSAIDs, so I'm stuck with acetominophin. Which is fine because I love norcos and oxys.

Isn't Advil also a muscle relaxant? That would help with tension headaches

it's iboprofen, however you spell it. I buy the generic version at drug stores. so much cheaper and just as effective

And yet again, aspirin is a miracle drug.

Showing a reduction in brain proteins and plaque and a reduction in Alzheimer's and a low dose correlation to a reduction in colo-rectal cancers.

You would think that every DLer who has ever presented hole would be on aspirin.

R38 you don't know what you are talking about, sorry. Lots of big pharma shills on this thread.

I agree with R43. Loopy Limbaugh's addiction was well before Acetaminophen/Paracetamol was added to many opiates... He was taking plain Oxycontin. I know a pharmacist who told me Acetaminophen is a "dirty drug" derived from anthracite (coal) and if it wasn't such a big business, and just invented today, it might not even get through the FDA. Acetaminophen/paracetamol blunts the brain stem, and does little in the way of actually easing inflammatory response. There is no way one can build a tolerance to the side effects of toxic quantities of this drug. The maximum daily dose has been greatly diminished in recent years as well.

I usually take one or two Tylenol when I have a headache and Aleve for joint pain especially after hiking 5-8 hours.

When I have migraines I choose acetaminophen first before ibuprofen, to try to spare my stomach. I take my prescription migraine triptan med as a last resort if I surpass my recommended acetaminophen dose, because I don’t find it’s really any more effective. Acetaminophen in suppository form has been a lifesaver my whole life, for when my migraines are accompanied by vomiting. The only cruel thing now is that my migraines are also coming with diarrhea which never used to happen when I was younger. Not an unusual migraine reaction, according to the headache foundations websites I’ve visited. So if I get diarrhea then obviously the suppository is useless.

Never thought Acetaminophen would be in a suppository form, R46. Does it reach your bloodstream quicker or more effective?

My former boss who was a PharmD says rectal isn’t an efficient route. But, when I’m vomiting I don’t know what other choice I have. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, but he thinks the absorption isn’t as good as PO.

R43 The thing is that article (and study) came out in 2006. Back then, the daily dose threshold was much higher. It’s changed since then. The FDA limited one pill to 325 mg maximum and the daily dose at 4,000 mg. Several studies since have shown that dosage is not toxic unless one already has reduced liver function.

And R44 Acetaminophen has been in Oxycodone and Hydrocodone since the 1970s. They predate Limbaugh’s abuse. True, the main drug reported was Oxycontin, but he had prescriptions for multiple opioids. No idea if he took any that actually contained acetaminophen though

Try Enderin OP.

“It really works.”

Not safe for children.

R43 , You dumb ass. That link didn't say one fucking thing about Acetaminophen "sticking around in the body and accruing anything"

But since you are so fucking stupid, we're going to go over this point by point

1. Yes, daily usage of Acetaminophen can cause liver toxicity. But only if you take more than the MAXIMUM DAILY DOSAGE in one day. If you take too much of anything in one day, you will get poisoned by it. Even drinking too much water or any liquids can kill you

2. Taking Acetaminophen does elevate liver enzyme tests, but that can be normal and really doesn't mean anything in the general scheme of things. AS LONG AS THEY DON'T EXCEED THE MAXIMUM DAILY DOSAGE

3. BUT, It said people take Tylenol and then take other meds (in reality it's usually allergy meds and prescription pain killers) that also contain Acetaminophen. A great example is Tylenol P.M. So these people are taking double the amount of Acetaminophen. This is common fucking sense. No study is needed to know this

4. You will notice there wasn't a damned thing in your hokey BULLSHIT linked article about the drug accruing in anyone's system (body) and sticking around to cause liver damage years, days, months or decades later. And just a little FYI, that article was from SOME DUMB FUCKING SHILL FROM JOHNSON AND JOHNSON (the drug company that makes Tylenol) The shill that kept saying Acetaminophen is "considered one of the safest drugs out there". It's NOT and no one in the medical community thinks it's one of the safest drugs out there. No drugs are safe. They all have the propensity to have side effects or interact with other drugs.

5. So you go and keep playing Google Dr, and I'll continue being a clinical pharmacist who practices real medicine with my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. OK

^ Keeps spreading misinformation, leads to more liver damage, shills for big pharma

[quote] And [R44] Acetaminophen has been in Oxycodone and Hydrocodone since the 1970s. They predate Limbaugh’s abuse. True, the main drug reported was Oxycontin, but he had prescriptions for multiple opioids. No idea if he took any that actually contained acetaminophen though

He most certainly fucking took Vicodin, Lortab, Norco (these are all Hydrocodone and ACETAMINOPHEN) and any other damned Opioid painkiller he could get his hands on. Actually he took so much of these pain killers that he significantly damaged his hearing. The acetaminophen is the exclusive cause of his hearing loss

Why is r51 so hellbent on getting everyone to take acetaminophen?

I prefer a goblet of gin.

[quote] ^ Keeps spreading misinformation, leads to more liver damage, shills for big pharma

Bitch, you're the one who linked some bullshit article from a lying shill who works for the makers of Tylenol. The loser who said, "tylenol is one of the safest drugs out there" .

And I don't want anyone to take Acetaminophen. I think it's useless (except for children who have a fever. Aspirin is contraindicated in kids with a fever).

I take Advil if I need to take a pain reliever

R51 is not hell bent on getting people to take acetaminophen.

He is a pharmacist. This means he has actually studied chemistry, biology, anatomy, and physics. He is educated. He is trying to educate you.

R38, I take a lot of ibuprofen at times. Prescribed and OKed by physician, but I still worry. I take the 600 mg pills, up to 4 a day depending on how I feel, but usually just one. Should I be concerned about how much I take? I have a chronic condition, so I don't know if I can do this long-term.

I take an Excedrin if I know I have a long stressful day ahead of me, or if I didn't get a good night's sleep. It works beautifully to keep headaches away before they even begin, and to give me a nice boost of energy from the caffeine.

R58, Advil (Ibuprofen) can cause high blood pressure in some people. Check your blood pressure when you are in a store with a blood pressure testing machine

Thanks, R60. My BP is just fine so far, even under the newer hypertension standards.

I buy the generic Advil at Target. Same effectiveness.

I find Advil more effective than Tylenol. I will try Excedrin.

I like an OTC in Canada, Mersyndol though it knocks me out, so I only take it at night and only about once a year.

Timing is important too. It's better to take meds for pain the minute the pain starts. I don't wait until the headache is full blown. I can tell when I have a headache coming on before it really starts and that's when I take the Advil.

To add to r60, be extra careful if you've got chronic kidney disease. I've seen someone need dialysis after a few doses of Aleve (they had chronic kidney disease though).

There's also the increased risk of ulcers (with bleeding) and heart disease.

All said and done though, NSAIDS do seem to be more effective for joint pain due to the anti inflammatory effect. And I bow down to Excedrin, it's saved me from much misery. Just try to limit your usage as much as possible.

I believe 7 people were murdered in the Chicago area by Tylenol capsols that had been spiked with arsenic. Early 80s.

R53 I couldn’t find that he took opioids with Acetaminophen. Not that I’d be surprised. I read he got multiple Rxs from multiple docs, and in several months accrued 2,000 + pills. People like that do generally get many different kinds of opioids, an Oxycontin Rx here, a Cicodin Rx there, etc. My reply was more about the poster saying Limbaugh was fine because he abused opioids before Acetaminophen was put in many opioids. That was a ridiculous claim.

*Vicodin (Yet again, couldn’t scroll to proofread.)

R66 Don’t forget me, spiking Excedrin bottles with cyanide in Bumblefuck, WA.

r57 yes, sure he is, just like I am a nuclear physicist. Funny how you scream PROOF!!!! when it comes to disproving something stated here, yet you are suspiciously lax in that same standard when it comes to accepting what some random internet person says about his or her credentials, when it supports your viewpoint of course.

Whatever your game, Acetaminophen is dangerous, no one should take it, it builds up in your system over time and you definitely shouldn't take it regularly. Ignore that advice at your own peril.

Extra Strength Excedrin is great. I find you can give it a boost by taking it with a cup of coffee.

R70 What you’re saying flies in the face of thousands of professsionals, multiple cohort studies, and the FDA. While many drugs do get pulled when they’re found to be dangerous, and pharmaceutical companies have had blood on their hands many times, there is no evidence that reasonable use of Acetaminophen is perilous. Quite the opposite.

Find a happy medium instead of spouting doom and gloom when it’s unfounded.

That should have been *many drugs have been pulled. It’s not actually a rampant, ongoing problem. I get people being distrusting of Big Pharma at times, but it’s really conspiracy theory territory to think dangers of Acetaminophen are being suppressed. It’s silly.

r72 yet we're still using Nutrasweet. You know those drugs wouldn't be used now due to the potential harm they do, had they not huge money backing them.

Studies have shown that it's toxic for your liver. You're really interested in having people harm their livers? Why not just take something else?

Nothing works better than plain aspirin for me. And it's cheap (the generic kind.) I chew it up and eat something or drink milk in it, hoping that will help my stomach but not sure it will - something about prostaglandins and damage might happen anyway... Oh well, I just take baby aspirin. They're yummy.

R74 Studies have not shown it harms the liver unless the dose exceeds 4,000 mg a day or existing compromised liver function exists.

Go ahead, believe the studies are false, that it’s some conspiracy, but it makes no sense falsely believe these studies are out there. They don’t exist. That 2006 interview based on the NEJOM study discussed dosages two to four times higher than the current maximum dose!

I can’t repeat myself anymore. Go to pubmed.com and read what you can on it. I’ll leave this discussion to the others now.now.

I never get headaches. Never. Ever.

I take aspirin because it's safe if you take it with food. If doctors tell patients to take half an aspirin a day, then you know it's safe. It's also the cheapest pain reliever. Isn't Excedrin just aspirin with a little bit of caffeine?

I stopped taking Advil years ago because studies showed that it destroyed your liver, even at recommended dosages. It does work great, but at what cost?

I've had exactly ONE headache in about twenty years. It was last year and I thought I was dying. Turned out to be the onset of shingles on my face! Well, at least it wasn't the start of years of headaches!

Advid did not work for my caffeine withdrawal headache. I couldn't take Excedrin either due to caffeine. Tylenol did the trick although it took 6 per day for 2 days, but it didn't do shit for the leg pain and depression that resulted from the caffeine withdrawal that would not go away for weeks!

^Advil

R78 you have Advil confused with Tylenol.

Are we ever going to have another OTC pain reliever on the market? It seems like maybe there’s room for some other options.

[quote] I stopped taking Advil years ago because studies showed that it destroyed your liver, even at recommended dosages. It does work great, but at what cost?

NSAIDS (ibuprofen, naproxen) rarely affect the liver. The way they are metabolized (first pass) makes liver toxicity rare

[quote] Limbaugh was fine because he abused opioids before Acetaminophen was put in many opioids.

Drug manufacturers have been mixing opioids with acetaminophen since at least 1976 (percocet). And yes, Rush made his housekeeper go out and get him any and all types of opioids because he was taking 90 pills a day and no amount of Dr shopping could have gotten him that many opioids legally. Although he sure did love Dr shopping for combination pain killers (lortab, norco, vicodin).

I don't know where any of you clowns got that limbaugh only took Oxycontin from. Newspaper reports and Court reports all state he took combination pain killers (opioids with ACETAMINOPHEN). I.E, it's an ESTABLISHED FACT that he took shitloads of opioids that were mixed with acetaminophen. Come on people, Google is your friend

All you bitches refusing to take OTC headache medicine must not get real headaches. When I get a full blown headache, I give zero fucks about my liver failing , because my head feels like its about split down the middle and pop off my shoulders. GIVE ME THE MEDS, NOW!

[quote] I take aspirin because it's safe if you take it with food. If doctors tell patients to take half an aspirin a day, then you know it's safe.

This is FUCKING HILARIOUS.

Especially because we all know that Dr's would never tell anyone to take a drug that has side effects. I've got to hand it to you though, "If a dr tells you to take half a pill, you know it's safe" is a new one for me. For once, I can't wait to go to work and tell all of these things to everyone

Have you heard the one where, If one pill is good, two must be better? It's hilarious too. Having been in health care for over 25 yrs, I stand by my theory that most people are generally just out and out stupid. They're alive simply because of sheer luck and when it's your time to go, It's your time to go

[quote] reply 57 yes, sure he is, just like I am a nuclear physicist

I'm licensed in 3 states you stupid cunt. I'm fairly certain that you don't even know what a nuclear physicist does. I'm just going to give you a helpful hint. Don't talk about things you don't know anything about

How ironic that you mention Physics. I took Physics with Calculus 1 & 2 for one of my degrees (at Cornell University). I've bet you've probably never taken more than an introductory science course

But hit me up. Let's test our knowledge of pharmaceuticals. I'm positive (100% positive), I'll win

Here's a question for you Dr Google. With you being an expert at the hepatic toxicity of medications, this should be super easy for you. What is your opinion on the Hartford Nomogram method of Aminoglycoside dosing? I.E, what's your opinion on the hepatotoxic effects of single large dose Aminoglycoside dosing compared to smaller multiple daily doses?

That's not the case for me. Tylenol works slightly faster, though they both work. Headache medicine (e.g., Excedrin) - acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine really does work best, for me.

I have never ever reacted well to Aleve for any sort of pain.

Me neither, at least not for headaches. All I get from Alleve is stomach irritation that lasts the entire day. If I ever have inflamed joints maybe I’d try it though.

For all day pain relief, I rely on TopCare brand.

Because I'm a fierce top.

All you people using Advil and Tylenol must be bottoms.

Isn't Advil also a muscle relaxant? That would help with tension headaches.

No, it isn't. However, reducing inflammation often improves mobility.

Oh, The drama on this thread. The short answer or what I’ve always heard is that Advil can go straight to the pain and Tylenol has to travel all over your body before I can find the inflammation.

A BC powder washed down with a coke is my go to for migraines. Its literally a miracle and will blast a head ache to the curb in no time. I had to make a pit stop while traveling and suffering all day recently - it had been a long time since I'd taken BC/Coke - especially since watching my carbs. But I was desperate. Something about the BC and the sugar carbonation satisfaction of the coke - seriously in 10 minutes I felt great - after long day of dealing with that damn pain, it was a full, sudden and complete relief.

Can one even get BC powder outside of the South?

BC POWDER, ORIGINAL FORMULA: Active Ingredients: Each powder contains Aspirin 845 mg, and Caffeine 65 mg. ARTHRITIS STRENGTH BC POWDER: Active Ingredients: Each powder contains Aspirin 1000 mg and Caffeine 65 mg.

So make your own BC powder: One regular aspirin has what? 375 mg or so. So smash the right number up, two and half or so, and add the coke - and chase with a cup of coffee to get the extra caffeine?

I know that I don’t respond to certain medications, Acetaminophen and Dilaudid are 2 of them. Nothing happens to my pain, and the Dilaudid didn’t touch my pain after surgery but made me high as a kite.

I was begging the nurses for Ibuprofen, but that’s apparently forbidden after surgery due to increased bleeding risk. Ibuprofen works for me. I don’t take it very often, but it’s the only thing that helps me with any pain.

BC powder is basically powdered Excedrin.

Too bad -- it seemed so exotic before...

Advil gives me a subtle high; a sense of well-being. Fortunately I’ve never had terrible pain, so I don’t have much experience.

I’ve gotten the BC headache powder here in NYC.

[QUOTE] Advil gives me a subtle high; a sense of well-being.

What?? Really. I’d love the Columbia pharmacist or sometimes lurking poster FNP to chime in on that. I could have sworn I get a mild euphoria from it too.

A pretty good comparison of Advil vs. Tylenol vs. plain aspirin

R85 Thanks for that link. I actually feel like an idiot because I tried to find articles of all of Dimbaugh’s prescription drugs, and I could not find details other than it was different opioid perscriptions. (I’m usually not such a failure with uncovering old articles.) I’m not one on the upthread who thought it was only Oxy though. People who doctor shop like that (among illegal purchases) get all sorts of different opioids.

And yeah, a quick search reveals Oxycodone/Acetaminiphen and Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen have been around since the 1970s, decades before Dimbaugh was busted.

R24, that’s strange because apparently it’s way more expensive over there. My partner’s mother always stocks up on Walmart bottles of 500 ibuprofen when she visits.

Back about the BC powder. I think because its ground so fine it hits the blood stream pronto. I a just guessing. You can also find Goody's brand up North. Maybe its part placebo with the cold coke to wash it down. Its the whole ritual you know tapping the powder in its little wax envelop so its gathered opening it so you can pour it in your mouth quick and having that fast chase of coke so you don't suffer the taste much. You still get a bit of it - you cope. There is an art to the whole experience because if you don't get it down just right or inhale during the process you will get a burn and and sneeze. Still such sweet relief will soon be a hand, and I mean when you to a migraine you thank the maker when that shit knocks off.

Everyone let me off this elevator first, I'm licensed in three states!

Tylenol does nothing for me. Advil works

In Canada, one can get OTC Advil mixed with a muscle relaxant. I think it is called Robonix Platnium

[quote] Everyone let me off this elevator first, I'm licensed in three states!

I'm a hell of a lot smarter than you. Although everyone on this thread is smarter than you. And you being the loser that you are, haven't given me a SINGLE fucking source that says Acetaminophen builds up and "accrues" in the body or in any body for matter. And that's because it's not true. Not even a little bit. I love clowns like you. Instead of just admitting you are wrong and don't know what in the hell you are talking about, you double down on your ignorance and stupidity and you actually try to argue with an expert.

You definitely seem like a republican

Even if it doesn't accumulate R108, it still wreaks havoc on the liver and its enzymes. It is no surprise manufacturers have added a warning to the label "if you enjoy more than one drink per day, please talk to your physician about taking Acetaminophen". Many deaths have occured and have been well publicised about the elderly taking different preparations with Acetaminophen... Especially CoTylenol. Extra precautions should be taken with young women who rely on the drug monthly for menstrual cramps. You may think it safe and extoll its virtues, yet many choose to differ. It simply is not the best option unless one has a stomach or duodenal ulcer, but even then enteric coated NSAID caplets are still a better option. I am always leary when the literature states scientists and doctors really are not sure of the mechanism by which it works... other than suggestions it somehow blunts the brainstem, it remains largely unknown, and still a dirty drug.

Girls! Girls! Settle down. There's enough Brufen Retard for all of you.

Good on you R110! Does it really work for my mental retardation though? It is what gives me the most pain.