# Extra Strength Excedrin **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005 "2000-06-11T03:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/1 "2000-06-11T03:07:54Z")
According to the label of Excedrin, each tablet contains 250mg aspirin, 250mg acetaminophen, and 65 mg caffine. According to the label on a bottle of Extra Strength Excedrin, each tablet contains 250mg aspirin, 250mg acetaminophen, and 65 mg caffine. How do they get away with calling it “Extra Strength” if it contains the same ingredients as regular strength? ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/2 "2000-06-11T03:11:18Z")
Do the recommended dosages differ? ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/3 "2000-06-11T05:38:22Z")
Every asprin-like product is called extra strength today, maybe once Tylenol started it everyone else got jealous. ---
**Author:** ![argyle87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90ced4/32.png) [@argyle87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/argyle87)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/4 "2000-06-11T06:16:32Z")
I get bitchin’ headaches sometimes, and my drug of choice has been Excedrin Migraine for a while now. Guess what? the contents are the same 250, 250, 65 combination as the others. The dosage is 2 every 6 hours, which is pretty much industry standard in my experience. I wonder if I just pay more for mine… ---
**Author:** ![Suo\_Na](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/5 "2000-06-11T08:24:30Z")
[Slight hijack] I love Excedrin Migraine’s advertising ploy. “Two leading pain-relievers and an enhancer that others don’t have.” That’s the caffeine, but do they tell you that in the ad? Why would they when a cup of coffee would do the same thing? [/Slight hijack] My extra-strength Excedrin contains 500mg of acetaminophen, but it’s the non-ASA kind. That and an ice-pack work just fine for my migraines, thank God. I’d hate to think that the only drug that could take away my pain (ASA) would do it by killing me. ---
**Author:** ![argyle87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90ced4/32.png) [@argyle87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/argyle87)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/6 "2000-06-11T08:39:43Z")
What is ASA? ---
**Author:** ![Suo\_Na](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/7 "2000-06-11T12:00:33Z")
ASA is aspirin. Aspirin is a trademark of the Bayer company, so I try not to use it unless I mean the Bayer product, which I don’t in this case. Most people don’t care, but I’m a technical writer/editor/proofreader jack-of-all-language so I’m more aware of the issue than the average person. ---
**Author:** ![madd1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@madd1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madd1)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/8 "2000-06-11T12:43:27Z")
You are right that ‘Excedrin for Migraines’ and ‘Extra Strength Excedrin’ contain the exact same thing. The reason for this is that Extra Strength Excedrin does relieve migraine pain. The only over the counter product proven to do this so far. The problem was that most migraine sufferers were unaware of this. Therefore, the FDA gave Excedrin special dispensation to label separately its Extra Strength and its Excedrin for Migraines, on the caveat that it does not charge any more for the Excedrin for Migraines than the regular ‘Extra Strength Excedrin’. You may notice that the Excedrin Migraine commercials tell you that Excedrin for Migraines’ it is the same thing Extra Strength Excedrin. ---
**Author:** ![Koffing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Koffing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koffing)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/9 "2000-06-11T13:53:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > ASA is aspirin. Aspirin is a trademark of the Bayer company, so I try not to use it unless I mean the Bayer product, which I don’t in this case. > > Most people don’t care, but I’m a technical writer/editor/proofreader jack-of-all-language so I’m more aware of the issue than the average person. > \*\* Hasn’t the word aspirin descended into public domain? ---
**Author:** ![Mousseduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@Mousseduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mousseduck)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/10 "2000-06-11T14:05:37Z")
Um, Suo Na, How does aspirin kill you? I know if you take too much it can cause your stomach to bleed, but how does it kill you if you don’t overdose and don’t take it every day for years? ---
**Author:** ![PRISM02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@PRISM02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PRISM02)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/11 "2000-06-11T15:52:41Z")
**madd1** > [@](#): > > Therefore, the FDA gave Excedrin special dispensation to label separately its Extra Strength and its Excedrin for Migraines, on the caveat that it does not charge any more for the Excedrin for Migraines than the regular ‘Extra Strength Excedrin’. They didn’t tell _that_ to the retailers because at Walmart, the ESEFM sells at up to $2.00 more per box! Extra strength Excedrine can sell for $6.98 for 100, 500 mg tablets _Migraine Excedrine_, 100, 500 mg tablets sells for $8.95! RIP-OFF! I stopped buying extra strength Excedrine when the price went up and switched to EQUATE – a Walmart generic. Instead of paying $6.98 for 1 bottle of 100 pills, I get two bottles of 100 pills, 500 mg, same chemical make up for $3.98. The only difference is that the EQUATE doesn’t dissolve as easily as the Excedrine. BTW the _only_ difference I noted in extra strength Excedrine and Migraine Excedrine is that the latter is coated. It leads me to speculate that, provided you don’t chew up the pills, this coating enables more of the medication to survive to reach the intestinal tract, which might deliver a higher powered ‘kick.’ ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/12 "2000-06-11T16:30:29Z")
I always get the Walmart/Eckerd’s brands with same chemical makeup as the name brands, and I’ve never been sorry. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2000, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/13 "2000-06-11T23:57:36Z")
[hijack] Bayer used to hold the copyright names to Asparin and Heroin(!). They had to give them up in reparations to the allies after WW1. Bayer is a German company, after all.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![argyle87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90ced4/32.png) [@argyle87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/argyle87)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/14 "2000-06-12T03:51:10Z")
Mousseduck, did you ever consider that Suo Na could be allergic to Aspirin? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2000, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/15 "2000-06-12T06:45:40Z")
Given what people seem to using this med for, the following link posted yesterday on MSNBC might be of interest. Cause of migraines discovered > **[MSNBC News - Breaking News and News Today | Latest News](https://www.msnbc.com/)** > > MSNBC breaking news and the latest news for today. Get daily news from local news reporters and world news updates with live audio & video from our team. ---
**Author:** ![Mousseduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@Mousseduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mousseduck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2000, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/16 "2000-06-12T12:22:11Z")
Not really. I thought it meant aspirin kills people, all and any people. I forget people can have allergies. So, does aspirin kill you if you are not allergic to it? ---
**Author:** ![jayron\_32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jayron\_32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayron_32)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2000, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/17 "2000-06-12T16:46:44Z")
> [@](#): > > [hijack] Bayer used to hold the copyright names to Asparin and Heroin(!). They had to give them up in > reparations to the allies after WW1. Bayer is a German company, after all.[/hijack] [continuing hijack] In 1995, Bayer AG in Germany purchased the small company that was producing Bayer Aspirin in the U.S. The Bayer Germany U.S. corporation (Miles Laboratories) ceased to exist as of that time, and currently Bayer USA is a subsidiary of Bayer Germany. My father works for Agfa Corporation, which was from 1988 until 1998 a subsidiary of Bayer and (in the U.S. until 1995) Miles Laboratories. Oh, and AFAIK, aspirin is currently prublic domain, and no longer proprietary any more than the word zipper is… [end hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2000, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/18 "2000-06-13T02:56:19Z")
I love Excedrin, I love Excedrin, I love it I love it I love it. I get LOTS of headaches, and Excedrin is the only thing that does anything for them other than a good night’s sleep, which is not always feasable for obvious reasons. Man, 2 Excedrin washed down by a Mountain Dew and you could amputate my foot for all I care. > [@](#): > > \*\* > According to the label of Excedrin, each tablet contains 250mg aspirin, 250mg acetaminophen, and 65 mg caffine. > > According to the label on a bottle of Extra Strength Excedrin, each tablet contains 250mg aspirin, 250mg acetaminophen, and 65 mg caffine. > > How do they get away with calling it “Extra Strength” if it contains the same ingredients as regular strength? > \*\* It’s really **strong** acetamenophin! Just kidding. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2000, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-strength-excedrin/22005/19 "2000-06-13T13:23:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Hasn’t the word aspirin descended into public domain? In the U.S., aspirin (no capital) is generic. You can see many brands of asprin other than Bayer. In Canada, though, Aspirin is a trademark of Bayer. Only Bayer can sell Asprin in Canada; everyone else sells ASA (Acetylsalicitic Acid).