# I got a headache shopping for Advil **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062 "2007-06-07T00:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/1 "2007-06-07T00:24:36Z")
They offered: Tablets Caplets Gel Caplets Liqui-Gels All apparently 200 mg of the active ingredient. I went to the Advil website for help. From the FAQ: > [@](#): > > Q: Do Advil Liqui-Gels work faster than Advil tablets, caplets, or gelcaps? > > A: Liqui-gel products are by their nature a fast-acting dosage form, and Advil Liqui-Gels were formulated to offer consumers another choice for fast pain relief. Advil Liqui-Gels have been shown to relieve tough pain faster than Extra-Strength Tylenol®. **NONRESPONSIVE!** > [@](#): > > Q: Why should I buy Advil Liqui-Gels instead of Advil tablets, caplets, or gelcaps? Why are Advil Liqui-Gels better than Advil tablets, caplets, or gelcaps? > > A: It is up to personal preference whether to use Advil Liqui-Gels or the other dosage forms of Advil. All forms of Advil provide safe and effective pain relief when used as directed, and no other over-the-counter pain reliever works better or lasts longer than Advil tablets, caplets, or gel caplets. Advil Liqui-Gels are another dosage form that is being offered to increase consumer choice in the market, and are specifically formulated for fast pain relief. Corporate doublespeak makes my head hurt. Maybe this is their goal. What should I pick? Why offer multiple forms of the same damn thing? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/2 "2007-06-07T00:30:09Z")
Pick up the cheapest generic version you can find in an amount you’re likely to use before they expire. ---
**Author:** ![Della](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c68b51/32.png) [@Della](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Della)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/3 "2007-06-07T00:44:04Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Pick up the cheapest generic version you can find in an amount you’re likely to use before they expire. [/QUOTE] I apologize in advance for the highjack, but you brought up a question I’ve been wondering about for several years. What actually happens when a medicine expires? Is it degradation of the active ingredients or some other process? And what does the degradation (if it happens) produce? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/4 "2007-06-07T00:58:10Z")
I had a similar experience a couple months ago. I had a mild headache and was out of headache stuff, I usually use ketoprofen or tylenol because Advil eats my stomach lining. They had no ketoprofen and there were so many different options of tylenol and combinations I couldn’t decide. I almost bought Excedrin Migraine but said to myself “this isn’t a migraine and I haven’t had one of those in a while” so I ended up buying nothing and got a migraine a few days later. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/5 "2007-06-07T00:58:42Z")
[QUOTE=Della] I apologize in advance for the highjack, but you brought up a question I’ve been wondering about for several years. What actually happens when a medicine expires? Is it degradation of the active ingredients or some other process? And what does the degradation (if it happens) produce? [/QUOTE] Sounds like a great topic for its own thread. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_of\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sock\_of\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_of_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/6 "2007-06-07T01:58:59Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] I had a similar experience a couple months ago. I had a mild headache and was out of headache stuff, I usually use ketoprofen or tylenol because Advil eats my stomach lining. They had no ketoprofen and there were so many different options of tylenol and combinations I couldn’t decide. I almost bought Excedrin Migraine but said to myself “this isn’t a migraine and I haven’t had one of those in a while” so I ended up buying nothing and got a migraine a few days later. [/QUOTE] Just to further add to confusion: Excedrin Migraine is EXACTLY the same as regular Excedrin (which is a combination of aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) and caffeine). It’s just marketing. I had the most difficult time convincing my girlfriend that this was true, but, I assure you, it is. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/7 "2007-06-07T02:05:29Z")
[QUOTE=Synthetically Organic] Just to further add to confusion: Excedrin Migraine is EXACTLY the same as regular Excedrin (which is a combination of aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) and caffeine). It’s just marketing. I had the most difficult time convincing my girlfriend that this was true, but, I assure you, it is. [/QUOTE] Really? I could have sworn only the migraine had the caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/8 "2007-06-07T03:10:46Z")
My neurologist recommended the Advil gel-tabs for my migraines because they dissolve and get into your system faster. And yes, the so-called ‘migraine’ version of Excedrin is the same as the regular version, but is usually a dollar or two more. It’s all marketing. You’re paying more for the words on the box. Regular Excedrin has always had caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/9 "2007-06-07T03:28:10Z")
[QUOTE=Della] I apologize in advance for the highjack, but you brought up a question I’ve been wondering about for several years. What actually happens when a medicine expires? Is it degradation of the active ingredients or some other process? And what does the degradation (if it happens) produce? [/QUOTE] IANAPharmacist, but my brother is, and I asked him this once. My understanding is that with _most_ medicines, especially over the counter, when they expire, the most likely result is that they will just not work as well. It’s not a good idea to keep expired medicines around anyway, though. And the Excedrin Migraine thing has had me :rolleyes: for years. Don’t people read labels? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/10 "2007-06-07T04:08:50Z")
And Excedrin: Tension Headache is actually regular Excedrin but with more acetaminophen and no aspirin. ---
**Author:** ![Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intravenus_De_Milo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/11 "2007-06-07T04:33:54Z")
As long as we’re piling on here, all the different versions of Afrin Nasal Spray are exactly the same, too…but at least every one is the same price. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/12 "2007-06-07T04:56:46Z")
I’ve just always stuck with Extra-Strength Tylenol. They’ve never failed me yet. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/13 "2007-06-07T05:31:20Z")
What about all those “different” versions of Visine? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_loblaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@bob\_loblaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_loblaw)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/14 "2007-06-07T07:10:01Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70] What about all those “different” versions of Visine? [/QUOTE] well, are your red eyes from skunk, white rhino, red hair, purple haze, or northern lights? … as to the op, as long as the dosage is the same amount of active ingredient, it shouldn’t matter much if at all, though a liquid suspension in a gelatin capsule will probably reach your bloodstream slightly, though i doubt _significantly,_ faster than a solid tablet. you might have fewer side effects (i.e upset stomach, heartburn) with one version over another, or you may just find one easier to swallow than the others (due to shape, and/or coating.) though do note that asa & ibuprofen are safer than acetaminophen when your headache may coincide with the metabolization of alcohol, or especially if alcohol may be consumed after taking such a pain reliever. and ftr, ianad. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/15 "2007-06-07T07:14:06Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70] What should I pick? Why offer multiple forms of the same damn thing? [/QUOTE] They offer different versions so that\* their\* brand takes up more space that other brands could be in, thus increasing sales for \*their \*brand. :rolleyes: What you want is to get the cheapest generic Ibrupropen they have. And as for Tylenol, two caveats: you can buy generic Acetaminophen at less than 1/4 the cost of Tylenol, and you can buy extra strength formulae too. Next: an overdose of as little as twice the recommended daily dose can lead to liver failure (most dangerous when combined with booze), which is very _very_ bad. The problem is that Acetaminophen hides in many OTC remedies, like cold medicines. So you take two extra strength Tylenol + chug back a dose of Nyquil and do that a few times and you wake up in the ER. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/16 "2007-06-07T14:21:04Z")
[QUOTE=StuffLikeThatThere] … And the Excedrin Migraine thing has had me :rolleyes: for years. Don’t people read labels? [/QUOTE] Actually, I do read labels\*. That was what was driving me nuts was trying to compare all the generics with the name brands because I wanted the cheaper generics but I also wanted a smallish coated tablet and not one of those footlong caplets that always get stuck in my throat. I noticed that there were a few different Excedrin’s and at least one had different ingredients so I apparently misremembered it as the original not having caffeine, when it was probably another formula. like the Tension Headache. I ended up not buying anything that day and a few days later when I got a migraine I had nothing to take for it. It wasn’t until later the next day that I managed to drag myself out and buy something. Unfortunately, I went to a different place with less choices and no generic option of the tylenol/aspirin/caffeine combo and had to buy the Excedrin Migraine anyway. But at least it helped, then again the headache intensity was a lot less by then. \*I don’t just read the ingredients I read the strength. I learned this lesson a long time ago when I took an OTC antihistamine with pseudoephedrine in it, I figured it was the same as the Sudafed I usually took. Then I had a couple cups of coffee. I was bouncing off the walls and thought I was going to have a heart attack. The medicine I took had a lot more pseudoephedrine in it than the Sudafed I was used to taking with coffee. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/17 "2007-06-08T06:07:09Z")
Oh, and “Nitetime” formulations can be copied by taking a generic Benadry and your OTC painkiller of choice. There, in two posts I saved my fellow Boarders a tidy sum over a decade or two. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/18 "2007-06-08T14:04:30Z")
The sad part is I can’t take dextromethorphan with this SSRI so no more cough suppression and most cold medicines are not allowed. I did have to wade through the many Allergan Refresh eyedrops to find one that you can use with contacts. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/19 "2007-06-08T15:26:51Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70] Why offer multiple forms of the same damn thing? [/QUOTE] I’m thinking, because some folks like one form better than others. Probably the most common reason for a preference is, ease of swallowing. If you’re like me, and you can toss three or four horse pills in your mouth at the same time and gulp 'em right down, you may not care which kind you use. However, if you’re like my wife, and you have a major psychological block when it comes to pills and you have to put even the tiniest pill way on the back of your tongue and gulp and still gag, you may want something small and gel-coated, and the extra buck or two will be worth it to you. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-headache-shopping-for-advil/407062/20 "2007-06-08T20:24:39Z")
[QUOTE=Della] I apologize in advance for the highjack, but you brought up a question I’ve been wondering about for several years. What actually happens when a medicine expires? Is it degradation of the active ingredients or some other process? And what does the degradation (if it happens) produce? [/QUOTE] > **[What happens to drugs after their expiry dates?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=411877)** > > Do they simply become less effective? Do they break down? Do they change into poisonous substances? – Inspired by a packet of Neo-Citran that didn’t do bugger-all for my stuffed-up nose… then I noticed that it expired eight months ago. That thread covers a lot of the basics (of course, I’m the one who answered it, so I am biased!) As for the many different formulations of the same drug: marketing. If you can come up with a “new” version of your drug product, you can keep it’s name in the public mind and sell more and therefore make more money. There are also (as I understand it) certain patent rights which could be extended if a drug can be shown to treat more than one condition, so you might have the same medicine advertised as a different product. There are certain advantages (and disadvantages) to gel/liquid capsules vs tablets or regular powder capsules but I’m afraid I’m not completely familiar with them. Ease of swallowing and rapid dose delivery do play a role, though.