Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Are Paracetamol & Tylenol both the same? Google says yes (it contains the same active ingredients) but I find paracetamol much better for giving pain reliefs.

Any insights?

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Paracetamol = acetaminophen, they are the same thing, Tylenol is just a brand name, like Panadol. Took quite a bit of getting used to when I first moved to the USA!

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

The placebo effect is extremely powerful especially with OTC pain relievers. That doesn't alter the fact that paracetamol and acetaminophen are different names for the same chemical. :nod:

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Are you comparing like for like in terms of amount of active ingredient?

While paracetamol and acetaminophen are the same thing, different brands will contain different amounts. Panadol original has 500mg of acetaminophen per tablet whereas Tylenol regular strength has 325mg.

Ibuprofen is better anyway ;)

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

advil >>> tylenol

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Acetaminophen is bad for your liver. I never take it.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

If you following the dose instructions there is zero harm. If you take 20 it will kill you.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

The full name of the drug in old chemistry terminology is para-acetylaminophenol - in the US it was shortened to acet-amino-phen, in the UK to para-cet-am-ol.

The difference in effectiveness may be due to the dose. Standard paracetamol tablet size in the UK is 500 mg, so you get 1 g of paracetamol per 2 tablet dose. In the US, regular Tylenol tablets are 325 mg, so you get 650 mg per 2 tablet dose. 500 mg acetominophen tablets are available, but they are often labelled "extra strength".

It is regarded as a safe drug in terms of general prevalence of side effects, but only if you stick to a maximum 4 g dose per day. It is very easy to take too much and damage your liver.

As with all drugs, individual experiences may vary, consult your pharmacist or GP etc etc...

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Tylenol or advil do nothing for me. I prefer ibuprofen for pain. After my shoulder arm surgery and multiple eye surgeries the only pain relief I got was from ibuprofen.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Nothing beats over-the-counter UK codeine.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Some NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen and naproxen work for my pain but really upset my digestive system - not much use to me if I'm hobbling to the toilet with terrible belly pain and gut rot. Meloxicam (another NSAID) on the other hand is a miracle drug as far as I'm concerned as it sorts out my back spasms and leaves my stomach alone...

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

great for pre & post root canals that XD

bloody difficult to bring in tho i thought, last couple of trips where ok but never been searched so i got lucky and i dont plan doing it on this trip with all my stuff in the suitcases since they are bound to search me this time when i land permanently

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

I can only guess by this thread that BE is inhabited by the middle-aged who are reaching "that age".... :D

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

No, I don't believe that you will be treated any differently. I think I have only been stopped and had my suitcase searched once on arrival in the US, and it was not the time that I arrived to live here. As it happens it was shortly before I got married and we were preparing to live in London for a while. I was going to take clothes for the then-future Mrs P back with me, so one of my suitcases was empty, literally nothing in it, which surprised the customs officer! :lol:

That said, bringing illegal drugs into the US is always an extraordinarily bad idea, and there is currently a lot of publicity in the US about morphine-related drugs, their abuse, and potential for addiction and overdose, not to mention moving on from legit/prescription drugs to other more dangerous drugs, so I wouldn't try to bring codeine into the US under any circumstances.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

In my defence, they are perfectly legal in the UK and i had not thought about usa laws being different and requiring a prescription for them until after that 2nd trip.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Er, Advil is (a trade name for) ibuprofen. :confused:

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

That is absolutely no defence at all under US law, which is the only law that matters when entering the US, and you risk arrest and prosection, especially if you were importing "saleable quantities", which could be as few as a dozen tablets.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

hence my reluctance to push my luck any further

what about lemsip? was debating that since its paracetamol

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Paracetamol is entirely legit, and is known as acetaminophen in the US. That said, personally, I would be cautious about bringing pharmaceutical powders into the US.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

I agree...ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law as far as the authorities are concerned. Codeine is a controlled substance in the US. I remember asking a pharmacist in Florida for paracetamol and codeine (we lived in the UK at the time)...the look on his face was priceless. :eek:

Pleased that I can buy it OTC in Ontario.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

scrub that idea then, dont need any problems really.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Thanks, I didn't know that. Advil still does not help.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

He/she was probably wondering why you were in the pharmacy when you can buy better stuff on the street. :lol:

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

But ibuprofen does? :unsure:

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Know what you are going to say, but yes, IB does work and Advil does not.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

The ibuprofen in Advil is in a different form - maybe that makes a difference. I've never been all that impressed by Advil either, and prefer the generic ibuprofen.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Do you? :unsure: ..... I am going to suggest the placebo effect. :nod:

I would be interested to hear what happens if on a number of occasions (say, a dozen or more occasions) when you need pain relief, if you ask your husband to give you his choice of either Advil or another ibuprofen brand and then you record your satisfaction with the "pain relief experience", and see what the correlation is. :unsure:

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

So is beer and whisky

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

My sister has actually done this to me on several occasions without my knowing it. I would say I had a terrible headache or my shoulder hurt where the rod is set into the joint and she would give me Advil without my knowing it. Didn't work at all. I would go home and take my IB and be pain free within a half hour. Visit with the sis again and again she slips me the Advil and again it doesn't work but at home later the IB does. After the third time this happens, I ask what are you giving me? Advil the little minx replies. So I started carrying a small bottle of IB with me at all times. :ohmy: Since IB comes in so many different "shapes" from oval to small round pills and also gel caps, I didn't question that the shape was different. Anywho, I take what works for me. Having a rod in your upper arm from shoulder to elbow cup does mean pain on many occasions, thus I carry my relief with me now.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

That's very interesting, thank you for sharing. :)

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

the "other ingredients" have some differences. This may affect how they work, I'm trying to remember a past discussion on dental forum but I think we came down to this being a reason why some people "prefer" one to the other in spite of the active ingredients being the same.

Paracetamol =
Maize Starch
Pregelatinised Maize Starch
Stearic Acid

Tylenol=
magnesium stearate, modified starch, powdered cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate.


Codeine (solpadeine) in the UK really ought to be Rx only, it is addictive. In France it is Rx only.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

I think Codeine is pharmacist controlled in the UK, ie a Pharmacist has to authorize the sale from what I remember. Kaolin and Morphine has the same restrictions.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

"Control" is a bit strong. As I recall, they ask a couple of simple questions then sell it to you.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

quite. It's a "cover your arse" exercise only by the pharmacists as far as I can see.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Interesting! I recall there being questions about some generics not working as well as the branded drug and the possible explanation being about the rate/level of absorption into the blood. Maybe that's the issue here also.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

This med is the number one cause of acute liver failure in the US due to unintentional overdose.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

To get a generic license, the generic manufacturer has to show bioequivalence, ie their tablet releases the drug and the body absorbs at the same rate as the branded original. So in theory, they should perform the same. Many people do report a difference compared to the branded form - I would encourage people to dial the numbers on the back of the packets to report that if it doesn't work for you.

Ibuprofen gets more complicated because there are different salts/forms which do dissolve and absorb at different rates, such as ibuprofen lysine, arginate or sodium. The ibuprofen part is exactly the same, but is chemically "paired" with an inert atom or molecule that affects how fast the body takes it up. So there can be a demonstrable difference between the cheap, plain ibuprofen and the fancier branded "quick acting" forms.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

good luck finding k&m in a British pharmacy these days. It's great for dodgy tummies, I find it very comforting. But considering the ingredients (not just the tiny amount of morphine - it also contains ethanol & chloroform) it's not really surprising.

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Most likely when combined with alcohol. One pill can kill a "functioning alcoholic ".

Re: Paracetamol vs Tylenol- Both The Same?
 

Curiously though, and contrary to what you are implying, Rete's problem appears to be with the leading brand of ibuprofen, not a cheaper generic.