Tylenol is also called acetaminophen. That’s just a generic name and really means that you would probably get the medication for cheaper. You can use acetaminophen Tylenol when you have two problems. Pain, it doesn’t matter if you have a muscle strain or a ligament sprain, you can use Tylenol. Tylenol is also good for a headache, and you can use Tylenol even if you are on a blood thinner, and that’s pretty good.
If you are taking something like an anticoagulant because you had a hard problem or a stroke and you are on a blood thinner, you usually can use Tylenol. Now, the indications of when you can use Tylenol or the amount of Tylenol that you can use has changed. You cannot take more than 3000 milligrams of Tylenol in a day.
Tylenol comes in two strengths, 325 milligrams, and then 500 milligrams is your extra strength Tylenol. So for most adult patients, which I treat and which I’m talking about today, you can use a 500 milligram tablet of Tylenol and you can usually take two at a time, but no more than three times a day, meaning you never want to take more than six Tylenols in a day because remember I just said you never want to go above 3000 milligrams of Tylenol in a day, which would mean you never take more than six extra strength Tylenol tablets in a day. Whether you’re taking it for back pain, ankle pain, shoulder pain, or headache, never more than six tablets in a day.
Now, if you have liver disease, Tylenol is not a good drug for you because it’s metabolized in the liver. So that means if you are a heavy drinker, someone who drinks more than three cocktails in a day, because alcohol can affect your liver.
You don’t want to be one that takes Tylenol, so you may have to consider another drug. Now, all of these things that I’m telling you is just for people that have simple pains and maybe have fever that you can try Tylenol as a means of getting rid of the fever and getting rid of the pain. But the main thing I wanted you to know that Tylenol has a limit and you should never take more than six extra strength Tylenols in a day. So remember this when you go to your medicine cabinet and pick up Tylenol, acetaminophen, that you limit it to six tablets a day.
