Combinations - Drinking with Acetaminophen?

[WalkingMonstrosity]

I've heard some people warn that even having a few drinks after taking something like Tylenol could cause liver damage. I've been guilty of doing this before. I know that it's not a wise combination and can put a stress on you liver, but is it really that bad? Obviously drinking enough to get sloppy drunk is pushing it, but I doubt a few beers could do much.

I heard taking it with caffeine can do the same thing too, which doesn't make much sense to me. Don't they put caffeine in a lot of painkiller meds because it increases the efficiency anyways?

(Also, not to be a moron but how do you pronounce acetaminophen? >___>)

[BigDonJuan73]

Caffeine is not toxic to the liver, SWIY shouldn't worry about the caffeine.

How many mg's of acetaminophen does SWIY take before drinking?

SWIY might want to try aspirin or another, less liver toxic pain relief pill prior to drinking. acetaminophen is very harsh on SWIY's liver and combining it with alcohol is not a good idea.

[Boca Bitch]

Originally Posted by WalkingMonstrosity

I've heard some people warn that even having a few drinks after taking something like Tylenol could cause liver damage. I've been guilty of doing this before. I know that it's not a wise combination and can put a stress on you liver, but is it really that bad? Obviously drinking enough to get sloppy drunk is pushing it, but I doubt a few beers could do much.

I heard taking it with caffeine can do the same thing too, which doesn't make much sense to me. Don't they put caffeine in a lot of painkiller meds because it increases the efficiency anyways?

(Also, not to be a moron but how do you pronounce acetaminophen? >___>)

More than three drinks can have severely damaging effects... but it's better not to combine them to begin with. Caffeine, as said previously, is not a heavy stressor of the liver, as are both acetaminophen and ethanol.

and FYI... by technicality.. they're not called painkillers (which strictly pertains to opiates and cannabinoids)... but are referred to as analgesics. If SWIY needs some form of analgesic, but wishes to drink anyway, I suggest he use a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-imflamatory drug) such as aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen. Look on the active ingredients list to make sure that it contains one of these drugs.. the brands Bayer, Aleve, and Advil are the most common for each one.

And.. it's ok..lol Acetaminophen is pronounced: Ah-Set-Ah-Min-O-Fin

[Lizardd]

I am not sure how dangerous this is. I mean I am on medications which, say "Do not drink alchohol while on this medication."

I I am currently on:

Celexa(citalopram) 60mgs
Concerta(methylphenidate)54mgs

And take decongestent every day due to my sinus problems.
So, often I am on that coctail, plus a high ammount of caffenine when I drink. I guess know im worried! But I think it is fine if you don't do it all the time (your question).

[Boca Bitch]

Originally Posted by Lizardd

I am not sure how dangerous this is. I mean I am on medications which, say "Do not drink alchohol while on this medication."

I I am currently on:

Celexa(citalopram) 60mgs
Concerta(methylphenidate)54mgs

And take decongestent every day due to my sinus problems.
So, often I am on that coctail, plus a high ammount of caffenine when I drink. I guess know im worried! But I think it is fine if you don't do it all the time (your question).

Drinking with acetaminophen is just a no... your liver withers in pain at the mention of both of them. :P

But what you're prescribed doesn't have the same health risks that ethanol and acetaminophen have.

Citalopram is a SSRI.. though I'm not sure of the mechanism behind it, alcohol can significantly increase the toxicity of SSRIs.

Now... methylphenidate + ethanol (alcohol) = nirvana... in SWIM's opinion.. :P
The two combine within the liver to form ethylphenidate, which has the exact same mechanisms as its methyl base, but is significantly more potent.

Most decongestants (in the US) are now made with phenylphrine. Phenylphrine is believed to exibit no effect other than a placebo effect at the most. All studies done on its ability to decongest the nasal cavities, found phenylphrine no more effective than an actual placebo. Meaning it's an inactive ingredient. It's a shame really... we used to have pseudophedrine (which is still available in some states) as a decongestant, but it's been yanked off shelves because it can be made into methamphetamine.

Caffeine does not have a direct reaction with alcohol, but can potentiate psychological effects. It's generally a safe combination in moderate amounts. Ever hear of the brand Sparks... caffeinated beer?

[100mg Methylphenidate]

Swim has had about 8 drinks after having 1000-2000mg of APAP in the same day...not a smart move. He doens't do it much. He's done it a few times lately...but just because he takes tylenol on a near daily basis for pain the doctors won't prescribe him opiates for.

Swim plans on buying a big bottle of aspirin instead soon. Which might lead to ulcers while drinking but that's better than liver failure.

[pinksox]

but is it really that bad?

Bad,

Especially with someone who uses Tylenol frequently and has a nightly(or near nightly) drinking habit--even just one or two. Over a prolonged period there's a good chance of causing some serious damage. Which is why the warning is on the box/bottle.

If one does this, they should make sure to left their PCP know so he/she can monitor the patient more closely as far as liver function/health goes. If one's PCP knows their patient drinks one or two a night, they may choose to offer or recommend alternatives for pain control.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good advice, mixing alcohol and APAP is bad for the liver...period.

[Scrotum Grinder]

Originally Posted by WalkingMonstrosity

(Also, not to be a moron but how do you pronounce acetaminophen? >___>)

A-see-toe-minnow-phen

Reputation Comments on this post:

Even the little questions need answers, good work here.

[EscapeDummy]

Swim was actually very worried about this one day. He woke up, and due to being still extremely sore from a drunken boxing match 2 nights previous, popped 3 advils containing acetomenaphen for a total of 975mgs.

Swim will disagree with most of the posters here, from a personal experience.

One day, swim was very worried. The reason he was worried is this day happened to be, at his college, Picnic Day. It's a day where the population of the campus doubles, and people are shitfaced by 10am. However, right when swim woke up, being extremely sore from a drunken boxing fight 2 nights previous, he took 3 advils without thinking (975mg acetaminophen). So Swim didn't want to die from liver failure after the advils, but knew he had to drink (heavily). He decided, screw it, I'm going to drink. So he ate a FAT meal, and drinking commenced, about 1.5 hours later. He probably had 15-20 drinks over the course of the entire day, with no feelings of pain in the liver, and lived to tell the tale lol.

However, it certainly is dangerous, and maybe Swim was just lucky. Unless you have some sort of liver/kidney condition, "regular" social drinking on acetamenophen will be completely fine. Make sure to eat a meal between the painkillers and the alcohol, and either start with beer or just keep the drinking slow. Seriously though, if you're healthy, taking the normal dose of painkillers, and you plan on drinking light or normal, you seriuosly have nothing to worry about.

EscapeDummy added 56 Minutes and 20 Seconds later...

Oh and try to minimize mixing these in the future, for harm reduction.

[returntozero]

except for the fact that advil contains 0 acetaminophen

[Potter]

EscapeDummy: Advil is Ibuprofen, different chemical, not as bad when drinking.

[EscapeDummy]

Originally Posted by Potter

EscapeDummy: Advil is Ibuprofen, different chemical, not as bad when drinking.

I feel very silly for that post now. I shall make the excuse that it was posted back when I was a foolish newbie

[Subvert]

SWIM used to drink and take co-codamol (codeine+acetaminophen) until he learned that It was hepatoxic so did a cold water extration to try and get rid of the acetaminophen and allthough not perfect probably saved him from some damage, He is now clean from opiates and dosen't suffer from migraines.

[psylent treatment]

acetaminophen by itself is hard on liver function,as is alcohol.the combination of the two increases this effect and is not recommended.a healthy person may never experience any noticable effects;but if used frequently,acetaminophen has been shown to dramatically inhibit liver function.i would recommend either an aspirin based analgesic or an n-said such as ibuprofen.however aspirin and n-saids when mixed with alcohol cause a drop in blood pressure so as with anything else use caution.

[chinpokomaster]

Of course drinking and taking paracetemol gives your liver more work to do (both are hepatotoxic), but I doubt very much say 500mg and a few beers will do you much harm. I wouldn't do it often, though, because then you're looking at increasing your chances of chronic liver damage. One of my uncles used to take within the recommended doses of paracetemol every day for pain relief and it damaged his liver, and he didn't even drink. I'd keep your paracetemol intake to a minimum, drink or no drink.