Acetaminophen with Caffeine vs Acetaminophen only for moderate pain?

[drfeelgood1]

I would just like to have some opinions here to my question.

For moderate pain relief, is taking plain Acetaminophen weaker than Acetaminophen with Caffeine combined?

Sometimes I need to take it for headaches and general moderate pain. I’m avoiding Ibuprofen because of stomach ulcers and definitely I want to avoid narcotics as well like hydrocodone and codeine based meds.

So out of the two, would the Acetaminophen with Caffeine would be a stronger choice in pain relief than as opposed to taking the plain Acetaminophen?

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Good question. I don't think there is any extra pain relief to be had with the addition of caffeine, but as it's a stimulant it may help buck you up from the general malaise caused by pain.


The acetaminophen, codeine and caffeine formulations are quite good because the caffeine counteracts the drowsiness from the codeine, which is useful for getting shit done.

 

[Pickledlemons]

My understanding is that the caffeine is there because it helps relieve headaches due to its constricting of the blood vessels up there. So if you are taking it for headaches the pain relieving effect may be more, if you are taking for other pain it probably wouldn't make a difference. I also think when it comes to certain codeine preparations, the caffeine is just a 3rd drug in the recipe required by law ( for example in Canada the OTC codeine must contain two other active ingredients, so caffeine is a popular choice for that) .

 

[jhjhsdi]

I thought the small amount of caffeine was there to generally help get your blood flowing/body going to help the paracetamol or whatever work quicker, guess i was wrong

 

[Nurse Ratched]

I thought the small amount of caffeine was there to generally help get your blood flowing/body going to help the paracetamol or whatever work quicker, guess i was wrong

No, you're right. Caffeine is added to not only constrict the blood vessels but to also facilitate the speed of which the active ingredients reach your brain to stop sending the pain signals.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Caffeine plus acetaminophen is better, especially for headaches and migraines, but for any pain really.