Would that be just as effective for a headache as taking 2 of the same thing?
They are two different things and they have different effects depending on the type of headache and your own physiology. Given that you don’t have any weird allergies or whatever, it won’t kill you. How well it will work is dependent on too many variable to give an answer so just give it a try.
No, it’s better, because they work on different biological pathways. I always do this when I need analgesia.
You’ll need to take a nitroglycerin tablet to get things going.
They’ll actually potentiate each other. That is to say together they will work better then the sum of their parts. If I have a killer headache I’ll take two Tylenol and two advils to get rid of it. Now, if I have something that I know is going to be bothering me all day (sore throat, pulled muscles, soreness etc etc etc). I’ll take Tylenol, wait two hours, take Advil, wait two hours take Tylenol. That way every two hours I’m getting more meds into me, without overdoing it on Tylenol.
One Extra Strength Tylenol would be 500mg of Acetaminophen, one Advil would be 200mg of Ibuprofen. They are two totally different medications, and don’t interact with each other. You could even take the regular dose of each (two Tylenol, and two Advil), and your head won’t explode. That’s what I normally do when I have a REALLY bad pain.
This trick is also approved by my cousin, who’s an anesthesiologist. She takes 2 extra strength tylenols and 2 advils.
Joey P, I have never heard of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen having a synergistic effect, as far as I know, the effect is additive, not synergistic. They both work through totally different mechanisms of action (Ibuprofen inhibits the COX enzymes, Acetaminophen works through the Endocanniboid system) Do you have a cite for that statement?
I take a combination of 500mg Tylenol and 200mg Advil for very bad headaches and it works well for me. Makes me drowsy, though, moreso than either of the drugs alone.
Throw some ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve) into the mix and report back here.
Disclaimer: Don’t. It probably won’t do anything, but don’t.
Now, this you shouldn’t do. Both Ibuprofen and Naproxen are NSAIDs, and they work via the exact same mechanism. If you take both at the same time, you greatly increase the risk for stomach ulcers, GI bleeds, and a whole host of other possible side effects…
Mixing Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and a NSAID (Ibuprofen [Advil, Motrin], Naproxen [Aleve], among others) is ok. But never take two NSAIDs at the same time!
Hirka, are you saying not to take Tylenol and Advil at the same time? How come? What would the side effects be? (No, I’m not asking for medical advice.)
No, that’s not what I said, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen (Advil) are perfectly ok to take at the same time. What I said was don’t take two NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and Naproxen (Aleve) at the same time.
I’ve actually been meaning to ask this here for awhile, and I figure this topic would be of help:
In layman’s terms (or as close to as possible), what are the difference between Tylenol and Advil in terms of beating my headache?
In layman’s terms… If it is a normal headache and not migraines, and you take the medication as needed (i.e. not every day)… Take the one that works for you.
There really isn’t a big difference between the two medications when used for acute pain relief, so it really is, use the one that works best for you.
I’ve had our kids’ pediatrician suggest the acetaminophen/ibuprofen combo for stubborn fevers. He suggested offsetting them by a couple hours.
I do it if I had a killer headache or similar that’s not really getting solved with just one.
Thanks, Hirka, my ignorance has been fought and defeated. At least on this subject! :p:p
It would have no effect on my headaches. Tylenol has no effect on any pain of mine, and Advil can help other pains, but not headaches. YMMV.
When you go to the Emergency Room in the middle of the night with a horrible toothache, they tell you to take 4 ibuprofen (prescription dose) every eight hours and then after the first four hours take two Tylenol, and then keep alternating it till you can get to the dentist.
It does work very well for the short term till for a day or two till you get to your dentist.
Good to know. I get your caution, but would two pills do much harm? Even the “maximum daily dose” is conservatively low.
I have a bottle of ranitidine (Zantac) that is 75 mg and warns you to take no more than two a day. I also have a bottle of extra-strength ranitidine which is 150 mg and you should take… no more than two a day.