Before we jump in to know the answer to how long does Tylenol stay in your system, let us first know what Tylenol is.
Tylenol is an over-the-counter medicine that treats fever and helps to reduce pain. Tylenol contains acetaminophen, which is one of the most common medical substances. Many medicines use this medical substance.
It is one of the most common medicine names that we hear when the cold and flu season arrives.
Acetaminophen was first discovered in the year 1877. Since then, it has been used widely in many medicines worldwide. In the current times, over 600 medicines use this medical substance.
Tylenol is one of the most widely consumed drugs. For this fact, this drug is also highly readily available in every drug store. And why not? Tylenol caters to treat a couple of most common problems. These problems include various conditions like arthritis, body aches, headaches, fever, and many other problems that we face frequently.
The consumption of acetaminophen is enormous. This is because this is generally considered for people of all age groups. However, even though this drug is considered safe, overconsuming it could be fatal for a person. Therefore, even though this drug is readily available, it is better to consult a doctor before taking it.
Now, we are aware of what Tylenol is. Hence, let us look at some of the most common questions that people ask related to it. To begin with, let us first look at how long does Tylenol stay in your system.
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How long does Tylenol stay in your system?
It is comparatively easier for anyone to answer how long Tylenol stays in your system. This is because acetaminophen is one of the oldest medical substances there are and thus has been used in many medicines. As a result, many controlled studies have been conducted on this.
People usually take the medicine Tylenol orally. Once a person intakes the medicine, it reaches the gastrointestinal tract. From there, it is absorbed into the bloodstream relatively fast. After a specific time, the drug is excreted through urine.
Once you intake the Tylenol medicine, it starts to act within 30 minutes to 1 hour maximum. During this time, the drug’s effect is maximum on the human body.
After this, the half-life of the drug begins. We are sure many of us here are not aware of what the term half-life refers to. The half-life refers to the period that a drug takes to reduce its concentration by half on a person’s body.
The half-life of Tylenol in a person’s body is around two to four hours. After this period, the bloodstream gets cleared of the drug. A person excretes the remains of the drug through urine once, and the half-life is over.
However, the period may also depend on the person’s age taking medicine. The half time might increase or decrease according to the age of the person.
When it comes to children, the half time of the drug may be around 1.5 to 3 hours. In adults, the half time of the drug may be around 2 to 3 hours of time.
However, if the person taking medicine is an older adult with specific ailments, then the medicine’s half-life increases. In that case, it might take around 6 to 8 hours for the body to excrete the medicine.
Overdose on Tylenol (Acetaminophen)
We are now aware of the answer to how long does Tylenol stay in your system. Hence, now let us look at what happens when a person overdoses on it.
Tylenol, mainly acetaminophen, is one of the most widely consumed drugs. This is because this drug is one of those drugs that you can get quickly on the drug store. This is also because this drug is considered safe for consumption by both adults and children alike. But, like every other drug, this too comes with its own set of drawbacks.
Getting this medicine from a drug store does not need a prescription. However, this is all the reason more why a person should be careful before getting it. Even though the fact stands true that this medicine does not have any substantial side effects, people with ceratin ailments are still at risk.
But, the question now is how would a person understand that this drug is not suitable for them? Hence, a person must immediately stop the medicine if they encounter any such things after taking medicine. They are:
- Jaundice
- Redness
- Pain
- Dark urine
- Nausea
It is also advisable to immediately consult a doctor in such cases to avoid anything fatal.
The drug Tylenol helps to treat various ailments; these range from cough, cold, flu, arthritis pain to headache and fever. Because the half-life of the drug is low, the frequency of a person taking medicine is higher.
For the medicine to work properly, a person must take the next dose no more than 6 hours after the previous dose. Since the period between two doses is low, the chances of overdose become high.
Symptoms of Tylenol overdose
Apart from this, certain people are more prone to have overdosed on this drug when compared to others. They are people who have intentions of suicide, people with liver ailments, and children.
But what are the symptoms of getting overdosed on Tylenol? Here are specific symptoms to look out for to know if you have overdosed on Tylenol:
- Abnormal sweating
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Nausea
It is advised to immediately hospitalize a person if he comes across any of these symptoms.
Can I take Tylenol on an empty stomach?
Many people consider taking Tylenol as a pain reliever when they encounter stomach ailments. By far, we are aware that it is one of the most readily available drugs.
A person can also get this drug without having any prescription. For this very reason, they are unaware of many facts. As a result, many questions bug their minds. One of such questions is if a person can take Tylenol on an empty stomach.
As of now, there is no history of Tylenol on an empty stomach that has caused any problem. Tylenol as a drug is known to cure a list of stomach ailments. These include stomach ulcers, heartburn, and stomach bleeding, amongst many others.
It is a mild drug that treats these problems while being gentle on the stomach. Along with that, this drug is also not an NSAID like ibuprofen and others. Therefore, it is entirely safe to take Tylenol while on an empty stomach.
If a person takes Tylenol on a full stomach, it will take longer to start to act. If taken on an empty stomach, it starts to work faster.
How long does Tylenol 3 stay in your system?
As of now, we are aware of how long does Tylenol stay in your system. Now let us look at that answer to how long does Tylenol 3 stay in your system.
The composition of Tylenol 3 is slightly different from that of the regular Tylenol. Tylenol 3 is also popularly referred to as Tylenol with codeine.
The medical substance codeine acts on the central nervous system of a human being. It works as a pain reliever. Therefore, for this reason, there are high chances of a person misusing the drug. For this reason, unlike the regular Tylenol, this medicine is available only when there is a prescription.
Tylenol 3 is mainly made up of two main components, namely codeine and acetaminophen. The half-lives of both the components are a little different from one another:
Codeine
If you compare codeine with acetaminophen, it takes longer to get out of the system. Every tablet of Tylenol 3 contains about 30 milligrams of codeine. The half-life of this medical component can last for around 3 hours. However, it can work on the body for around 6 hours.
Acetaminophen
A tablet of Tylenol 3 contains about 300 milligrams of acetaminophen. The half-life of it is around 2.5 hours. It takes more time in people who have any underlying liver ailments. It takes around one day for all of it to get out of the system through the urine.
How long does Tylenol pm stay in your system?
The time of Tylenol pm’s stay in the system varies from one person to another. This depends mainly on the age group of the person taking the drug.
If the person taking medicine is a young adult, then the half-life of the medicine would be around 9 hours. If the person taking medicine is a little elderly, then the half-life of the medicine would be around 13.5 hours.
Now, if you have taken the Tylenol pm medicine, it is very common to feel drowsy. However, the probability of getting this feeling is extremely high, and hence, there is nothing to worry about it.
However, remember not to make taking Tylenol pm a habit. This is because all sleeping pills contain a medical substance known as diphenhydramine. This chemical enters the body’s cells. Taking this medicine can lead to many problems, including psychological problems.
How long does extra strength Tylenol stay in your system?
The extra strength Tylenol must be taken as directed by the doctor. This medicine helps a person get relief from pain, fever, cough, cold, flu, and various other problems.
The half-life of this drug is about four hours. When you intake this medicine, you will notice that it will start taking action in about six hours.
It takes about eight hours for the medicine to go out of the system completely.
Final Thoughts
The article discusses in detail the answer to how long does Tylenol stay in your system. Tylenol is one of the most common drugs that people need.
As a reason, we must be aware of all the minute details of the medicine. If you are giving this medicine to a child, it is also advised to calculate the Tylenol dosage by weight calculator.
This medicine is readily available in any drug store without a prescription. This is all the more reason why you must be ensured that you do not overdose on it. The article thus describes the time gap that must be ensured between two dosages of the same medicine.