Can you take acetaminophen and ibuprofen together?

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You can indeed take both of these medications at the same time, and in fact your doctor may recommend that you do so. These drugs do not exhibit any inherent, dangerous interaction with each other, and have been in the field for a long time, so no new findings are likely or anticipated.

However, as toxicity is always a function of dosage, any time you take any active medication, you need to be aware of how much you take, and what other medications you're taking that act in the same manner. Ibuprofen and Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) belong to the group of drugs called NSAIDs - Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. They work in a very similar but not identical way. Acetaminophen is not considered an NSAID and is thought to work in the brain rather than peripherally. They are gastrointestinal irritants (APAP, the least irritating, also doesn't perform as well as an anti-inflammatory). They work as pain relievers by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis. And, even though these drugs do not specifically interact with each other, unsupervised or self-medication has the risk of overdosing, if the patient takes very high doses or two or three of these meds concurrently.

The makers of Tylenol (APAP) specifically do not recommend the patient mixing these drugs without medical supervision. The reason for this is, while the drugs can themselves be safely used concurrently, dosage and over-dosage is always a concern. Understandably, they are worried about accidental overdose resulting from ignorance of the contents of all the medications their customers can take, and they've opted for the most conservative if not the most medically effective course in issuing this warning.

It is further observed that many over the counter and prescription products contain these medications. For instance, Tylenol is the brand name for APAP, so of course it'll contain it. Vicodin, a prescription painkiller, also contains APAP. And so on. The wise patient will keep a sharp eye on this when they use over the counter remedies, and will tell their doctor what they've taken, be it prescription, OTC or homeopathic/natural/herbal medication, so that the caregiver can make a clear, informed decision about further medication. It's generally accepted that the more a patient knows about their condition and medication, the better it is for everyone.

First answer by ID1185967225. Last edit by Cjonb. Contributor trust: 200 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 87 [recommend question]