The active ingredient in Tylenol (Acetaminophen) is proven to be the best over-the-counter (OTC) medication known for helping people in pain. Often, acetaminophen and caffeine are found as combination ingredients in medicines for migraine headaches. However, one of the most commonly asked questions is, “Does Tylenol have caffeine?
In general, Tylenol products don’t contain any caffeine in them. The only non-prescription Tylenol product with some amount of caffeine in it is Tylenol Ultra, which is a clinically proven superior medicine for headache pain relief. None of the other Tylenol products in Canada has caffeine in them.
How does Tylenol (Acetaminophen) Work?
Acetaminophen is a highly effective and beneficial fever reducer and pain reliever. It is the most prevalent drug used for pain relief in the United States of America.
For the majority of people, acetaminophen can safely relieve you of fever and all kinds of mild to moderate pain, from simple headaches and backaches to menstrual cramps, sprains, and arthritis pain.
It is deemed to provide relief to people by increasing the overall pain threshold of your body. Acetaminophen is also known to bring your fever down by helping your body get rid of excess heat. Most of us are familiar with Tylenol as it is the best medicine in the United States and Canada for pain relief.
Acetaminophen is the most active ingredient in Tylenol that works as a fever reducer and pain reliever. Besides this, Acetaminophen can be found in over 450 other prescription and OTC medicines.
Is Tylenol Safe to Use?
Tylenol is safe and effective for use as instructed by your physician. However, it is advised to not take more than one medicine comprising acetaminophen at a time. This medicine’s safety at the recommended doses has been established via 50 years of scientific investigation and use.
However, you mustn’t take Tylenol more than the recommended dosage as it is prone to causing liver damage. The maximum daily dose for adults in good health and weighing a minimum of 150 pounds is 4,000 mg. Still, for some individuals, taking the maximum daily dose for extended periods can severely harm the liver.
You must monitor all products you consume containing acetaminophen within one day. If your daily dosage of Tylenol is greater than 4,000mg, you are at risk of having your livers damaged. Hence, it is best to take the lowest dose essential and stick to 3,000 mg as your maximum daily dose.
Does Tylenol Have Caffeine?
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Clinical studies have proven that caffeine and acetaminophen combination is better at relieving headaches than acetaminophen alone. Even though caffeine and acetaminophen act as a more effective combination drug in reducing pain, Tylenol products do not contain caffeine in them.
Tylenol Ultra Relief is the only non-prescription Tylenol product with caffeine in it. This particular medicine is a clinically proven high-class headache pain relief. Besides this, there is no caffeine content in the other Tylenol products in Canada.
When Can I Take Tylenol Ultra Relief?
When you have a throbbing pain from a terrible headache or migraine, you’re not yourself. If you wish to get quick and effective pain relief so you can instantly get back to your usual self and resume going about your day, then you should try Tylenol Ultra Relief on headaches.
This product includes an effective pain-relieving ingredient (acetaminophen) along with a pain relief enhancer (caffeine) to give you superior relief from migraines and headache pain.
According to scientific studies, mild to moderate migraine pain and headaches can be relieved more effectively when a pain-relieving ingredient like acetaminophen works jointly with a pain relief enhancer like caffeine in low doses.
So, there is a difference between Tylenol Ultra Relief and other Tylenol products, as the former contains caffeine while the other products do not.
Does Tylenol Ultra Relief for Headache Have Caffeine?
Yes. Tylenol Ultra Relief contains two active ingredients (caffeine and acetaminophen), unlike Tylenol, which only has one active ingredient: acetaminophen. There is 500 mg of acetaminophen and 65 mg of caffeine in each tablet of Tylenol Ultra Relief.
Is the Combination Of Acetaminophen and Caffeine Effective?
Additional substances are often added to certain medications to boost the drug’s overall effectiveness. A few drug formulas combine acetaminophen with minor doses of caffeine to enhance acetaminophen’s pain-relieving effect.
This combination can also often be found in premenstrual syndrome formulas that are sold OTC for tiredness, muscle aches, menstrual cramps, and other types of pain. Clinical studies have verified that the combination of caffeine and acetaminophen is more effective in relieving headaches than acetaminophen alone.
Caffeine is often included to further boost the pain-relieving results of acetaminophen, so caffeine and acetaminophen work together as a combination drug to treat several conditions like muscle pain or severe headaches.
What Happens When You Take Caffeine And Tylenol Together?
A 2007 study issued in the Chemical Research in Toxicology journey discovered that consuming caffeine in high doses while taking acetaminophen like Tylenol together can potentially result in liver damage.
According to the University of Washington report, caffeine and acetaminophen tend to produce a byproduct enzyme that can be toxic to your liver. By testing the coinciding effects of caffeine and acetaminophen on genetically E. coli bacteria, researchers discovered that caffeine can boost the quantity of NAPQI by three times more.
NAPQI, short for N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine, is a toxic byproduct of acetaldehyde digestion. A key enzyme in the liver, while breaking down acetaminophen, produces this poisonous byproduct.
As per the researchers, this same toxin can also be associated with organ (liver) failure when Tylenol and alcohol are combined. Sid Nelson, Ph.D., a chemist who governed a team of researchers for the study, states that people must be informed about this potentially harmful interaction.
Moreover, even though caffeine and Tylenol (acetaminophen) is proven to be more effective at relieving headaches and pain, a few people may be more prone to having an adverse interaction with this combination.
Sid Nelson claims that some people might have to be more cautious than others when it comes to using caffeine and acetaminophen like Tylenol together. This includes anyone who has taken anti-epileptic medicines such as phenobarbital and carbamazepine, as well as anyone who uses St. John’s Wort, an herbal supplement.
These additional medications have also been depicted to boost the enzyme levels that produce the liver-damaging toxin. The risk is also significantly higher for those who consume too much alcohol and already take a lot of medicines that combine caffeine and acetaminophen.
There are specific side effects of taking caffeine with Tylenol, depending on what kind of caffeine you consume. For instance, as we mentioned earlier, caffeine boosts the strength of acetaminophen, as per Everyday Health.
Tylenol Ultra Relief comprises a blend of acetaminophen and caffeine but in moderate doses. Excedrin Tension Headache is another renowned medicine in the market that contains two other active ingredients besides acetaminophen: caffeine and aspirin.
In addition, you must avoid additional caffeine from energy drinks, soft drinks, and coffee while taking this kind of Tylenol, as it can up your chances of facing adverse side effects. As per Everyday Health, some of the most prevalent side effects of Tylenol Ultra Relief are nervousness, jitteriness, sleep problems, and irritability.
Suppose you experience mild fever with other symptoms like loss of appetite, nausea, clay-colored stools, stomach aches, jaundice, or dark urine. In that case, you must immediately contact your doctor and stop using any or all Tylenol products. All the symptoms mentioned above are indicators of liver damage.
To be safe and avoid compromising your livers, you must not drink more than 4 cups of coffee or any other caffeinated drink while taking Tylenol. While you do not need to stop consuming caffeine entirely if you are on Tylenol, you must never consume a significant amount of caffeine with the pills.
The Mayo Clinic states that you should only consume up to 400 mg of caffeine daily, equivalent to 10 cans of soda, 4 cups of coffee, and 4 energy shot drinks. On the other hand, the suggested daily dose of Tylenol is not more than 4,000 mg, equivalent to 8 pills.
Bottom Line
The bottom line of this entire article is that you do not need to stop taking caffeine drinks or products or acetaminophen such as Tylenol. However, monitoring your acetaminophen and caffeine intake with more caution while consuming them together is crucial.
While all Tylenol products, except for Tylenol Ultra Relief, do not contain any caffeine, you must always control your caffeine intake while you are on Tylenol to avoid experiencing any adverse side effects. This is essential to take care of if you want to prevent compromising a vital organ of the body, i.e., the liver.