Question
Two years ago, I was involved in an accident that tore my left rotator cuff. Although I have had surgery twice since then, I am in constant pain, and still can't use my left arm. I have found out that if I use both acetaminophen and ibuprofen together, the pain is relieved somewhat. Neither one of them helps a lot by itself. Although I have did a search on the Internet to see if using these two OTC medicines together is safe, I have found very little. My question is: Is it safe to use acetaminophen and ibuprofen together?

Answer
Hi Larry and thanks for writing,

Taking Tylenol & Ibuprophen together once in a while won't hurt, but it is not recommended to use both together for prolonged periods due to the risk of overdose, and increased risk of serious adverse affects (Liver damage).

The best thing to do is to consult with a Pain Specialist or at the very least go talk to your Pharmacist about safe analgesic use; perhaps you simply need a lower dose of a stronger medicine rather than overloading on too many weaker medicines.

Hope this helps & I help you feeling better soon,

Margot