A common misnomer is that Tylenol and aspirin are the same thing. Tylenol and aspirin have similar effects, but they have different properties. The main difference in Tylenol compared to aspirin is that Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory drug. Tylenol relieves pain by working in the central nervous system to turn off the perception of the pain, but it does not remove inflammation. Aspirin should not be taken if pregnant or if you have a bleeding disorder, however it is safe to take Tylenol when you are pregnant to reduce pain and fever. Tylenol and aspirin both help reduce fevers but have different side effects. Aspirin can cause stomach ulcers, indigestion, and heartburn, and Tylenol can cause severe damage to your liver if taken above the recommended daily dose of 4000 mg per day. So, Tylenol is a great option to reduce pain or fever, especially if you are pregnant. If you are trying to reduce inflammation, remember to stick with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) like aspirin. If you are ever unsure of which medication to take, always contact your doctor!
Here is a list of NSAIDs:
- Aspirin (Asprin is a brand name; the chemical is called acetylsalicylic acid)
- Celecoxib (Celebrex)
- Dexdetoprofen (Keral)
- Diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, Voltaren-XR)
- Diflunisal (Dolobid)
- Etodolac (Lodine, Lodine XL)
- Etoricoxib (Algix)
- Fenoprofen (Fenopron, Nalfron)
- Firocoxib (Equioxx, Previcox)
- Flurbiprofen (Urbifen, Ansaid, Flurwood, Froben)
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Brufen, Motrin, Nurofen, Medipren, Nuprin)
- Indomethacin (Indocin, Indocin SR, Indocin IV)
- Ketoprofen (Actron, Orudis, Oruvail, Ketoflam)
- Ketorolac (Toradol, Sprix, Toradol IV/IM, Toradol IM)
- Lornoxicam (Xefo)
- Loxoprofen (Loxonin, Loxomac, Oxeno)
- Lumiracoxib (Prexige)
- Meclofenamic acid (Meclomen)
- Mefenamic acid (Ponstel)
- Meloxicam (Movalis, Melox, Recoxa, Mobic)
- Nabumetone (Relafen)
- Naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Midol Extended Relief, Naprosyn, Naprelan)
- Nimesulide (Sulide, Nimalox, Mesulid)
- Oxaporozin (Daypro, Dayrun, Duraprox)
- Parecoxib (Dynastat)
- Piroxicam (Feldene)
- Rofecoxib (Vioxx, Ceoxx, Ceeoxx)
- Salsalate (Mono-Gesic, Salflex, Disalcid, Salsitab)
- Sulindac (Clinoril)
- Tenoxicam (Mobiflex)
- Tolfenamic acid (Clotam Rapid, Tufnil)
- Valdecoxib (Bextra)
For more information on NSAIDs, click here.