Tylenol Cold And Flu And Cough

The Problem With Too Much Acetaminophen

Nevertheless, you may not realize that acetaminophen is an active ingredient in a combination medication unless you read the label carefully. For example, NyQuil, Theraflu, and Percocet all contain acetaminophen. Unfortunately, using multiple products that contain acetaminophen can result in accidental misuse and overuse, as well as potential liver damage.

Acetaminophen is primarily processed in the liver. The liver breaks down most of the acetaminophen in a normal dose and eliminates it in the urine. But a small portion of the drug is converted to a byproduct that is toxic to the liver cells. If you take too much acetaminophen all at once or over a period of several days this toxic breakdown product can build up and cause damage to the liver.

In addition, there is some evidence that people with dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea, persistent fevers, or underlying liver problems may be at slightly increased risk of liver damage when taking normally safe doses of acetaminophen. The resulting symptoms of right-sided abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and general malaise may be mistaken for a worsening flu-like illness instead of being recognized as warning signs of liver damage.

What Are Other Ways To Treat And Prevent The Flu

Antiviral prescription medicines and an annual flu vaccine are available for treating and preventing the flu.

Prescription anti-flu medicines include amantadine , rimantadine , zanamivir and oseltamivir . These drugs do not cure the flu, but they can make the symptoms milder and make you feel better more quickly. They are only effective when used in the first 48 hours of flu-like symptoms.

These drugs are not needed for healthy people who get the flu. They are usually reserved for people who are very sick with the flu or those who are at risk of complications from the flu, such as people with long-term chronic medical conditions or older age.

Flu vaccine . Although there is currently no vaccine against the common cold, there is a vaccine to prevent the flu. The vaccine is available by both shot and nasal spray. It works by exposing the immune system to the viruses. The body responds by building antibodies against the flu. The flu shot contains dead flu viruses. The nasal spray contains live, but weakened, flu viruses. The nasal spray is only approved for healthy children and adults two to 49 years old and who are not pregnant.

How Much Tylenol Cold And Flu Can I Take

DIRECTIONS

Read Also: Can You Get Prevnar And Flu Shot Together

What Should I Avoid While Taking Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst

Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cold, allergy, pain, or sleep medication. Acetaminophen is contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much acetaminophen which can lead to a fatal overdose. Check the label to see if a medicine contains acetaminophen or APAP.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of liver damage while you are taking acetaminophen, and can increase certain side effects.

This medication may cause blurred vision and may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert and able to see clearly.

Tylenol Cold & Flu Severe Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction:hives difficult breathing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

In rare cases, acetaminophen may cause a severe skin reaction that can be fatal. This could occur even if you have taken acetaminophen in the past and had no reaction. Stop taking this medicine and call your doctor right away if you have skin redness or a rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling. If you have this type of reaction, you should never again take any medicine that contains acetaminophen.

Stop using this medicine and call your doctor at once if you have:

• chest pain, fast, slow, or uneven heart rate

• severe dizziness, feeling like you might pass out

• mood changes, confusion, hallucinations

• fever

• urinating less than usual or not at all

• nausea, pain in your upper stomach, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice or

• dangerously high blood pressure .

Common side effects may include:

• dizziness, weakness

• dry mouth, nose, or throat

• feeling nervous, restless, irritable, or anxious or

• sleep problems .

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Read Also: What Ingredients Are In The Flu Shot

How Should I Take Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst

Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use for longer than recommended. Cough and cold medicine is usually taken only for a short time until your symptoms clear up.

Do not take more of this medication than is recommended. An overdose of acetaminophen can damage your liver or cause death.

Measure liquid medicine with a special dose-measuring spoon or medicine cup. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

Stop taking the medicine and call your doctor if you still have a sore throat after 2 days, or if you have a fever, headache, rash, nausea, or vomiting.

If you need surgery or medical tests, tell the surgeon or doctor ahead of time if you have taken Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst within the past few days.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Do not allow liquid medicine to freeze.

Before You Buy Tylenol Cold Multi

Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Nighttime is available to treat multiple symptoms of the cold and flu. It does contain a decongestant, unlike its competitor, NyQuil. It may be the right medication to treat the symptoms you are suffering from and help you get a good night’s sleep.

Read Also: To Get The Flu Shot Or Not

Tylenol Cold Plus Flu Severe

To receive this label RSS feed

Copy the URL below and paste it into your RSS Reader application.

To receive all DailyMed Updates for the last seven days

Copy the URL below and paste it into your RSS Reader application.

What will I get with the DailyMed RSS feed?

DailyMed will deliver notification of updates and additions to Drug Label information currently shown on this site through its RSS feed.

DailyMed will deliver this notification to your desktop, Web browser, or e-mail depending on the RSS Reader you select to use. To view updated drug label links, paste the RSS feed address shown below into a RSS reader, or use a browser which supports RSS feeds, such as Safari for Mac OS X.

How to discontinue the RSS feed

If you no longer wish to have this DailyMed RSS service, simply delete the copied URL from your RSS Reader.

Why is DailyMed no longer displaying pill images on the Search Results and Drug Info pages?

Due to inconsistencies between the drug labels on DailyMed and the pill images provided by RxImage, we no longer display the RxImage pill images associated with drug labels.

We anticipate reposting the images once we are able identify and filter out images that do not match the information provided in the drug labels.

How Long Does Tylenol Cold And Flu Stay In Your System

Acetaminophen: Each Tylenol #3 tablet contains 300 milligrams of acetaminophen. For most people, this amount of Tylenol has a half-life in the blood of 1.25 to 3 hours. All of the drug will have passed out through the urine within 24 hours. Note that this could take longer in someone who has a poor liver function.

Read Also: How Did The Spanish Flu Get Its Name

Before Taking This Medicine

Do not use this medicine if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. MAO inhibitors include furazolidone, isocarboxazid, linezolid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, and tranylcypromine.

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, or phenylephrine.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medicine if you have other medical conditions, especially:

• liver disease, alcoholism, or if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day

• enlarged prostate or urination problems

• cough with mucus, or cough caused by emphysema or chronic bronchitis

• pheochromocytoma or

• overactive thyroid.

It is not known whether Tylenol Cold & Flu Severe will harm an unborn baby. Do not use this medicine without a doctor’s advice if you are pregnant.

Acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, and phenylephrine may pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. may also slow breast milk production. Do not use this medicine without a doctor’s advice if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Artificially sweetened liquid medicine may contain phenylalanine. Check the medication label if you have phenylketonuria .

What Are Some Side Effects That I Need To Call My Doctor About Right Away

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash hives itching red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever wheezing tightness in the chest or throat trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking unusual hoarseness or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of liver problems like dark urine, feeling tired, not hungry, upset stomach or stomach pain, light-colored stools, throwing up, or yellow skin or eyes.
• Not able to pass urine or change in how much urine is passed.
• A very bad skin reaction may happen. It can cause very bad health problems that may not go away, and sometimes death. Get medical help right away if you have signs like red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin red or irritated eyes or sores in your mouth, throat, nose, or eyes.

Don’t Miss: Which Person Is Least Likely To Have Flu Related Complications

Tylenol Cold Cough And Flu Products

When a cold or flu throws you off your game, its only natural to want to quickly get back to your best. Whether youre looking for daytime or nighttime formulas, there are a wide variety of options that can help relieve your cough, cold or flu symptoms. Choose from several cold, cough & flu products: TYLENOL® Complete Daytime/Nighttime caplets or syrups, TYLENOL® Cold, TYLENOL® Cough or TYLENOL® Flu.

Tips For Cold And Flu Symptoms

Although you may try your best to avoid seasonal colds and flu, there are lots of ways to get ready for when they come up.

Please note that this content is not intended as professional medical or healthcare advice and is not intended as a substitute for professional healthcare advice, or services from a qualified healthcare provider such as a physician, pediatrician or other professional familiar with your unique situation. This content is intended solely as a general product and educational aid. If you have any questions, please consult your physician or pharmacist.

Also Check: Does Uhc Cover Flu Shots

What Should I Avoid While Taking Tylenol Cold & Flu Severe

Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of liver damage while you are taking acetaminophen.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cold, allergy, pain, or sleep medication. Acetaminophen is contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much acetaminophen which can lead to a fatal overdose. Check the label to see if a medicine contains acetaminophen or APAP.

This medication may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

What Are Some Other Side Effects Of This Drug

All drugs may cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away:

• Feeling nervous and excitable.
• Not able to sleep.

These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-332-1088. You may also report side effects at https://www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Read Also: What Vitamin Is Good For The Flu

What Else Can I Do To Prevent Getting Colds And The Flu

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or alcoholic hand wipes. Cold and flu viruses are spread by touching your nose or mouth after touching an infected person, breathing in the air of an infected person’s sneeze or cough, or touching objects that have come in contact with the virus and then touching your nose.

Other prevention tips are to eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of liquids , and avoid close contact with people who have colds. Also, get an annual flu vaccine.

Cold And Flu Warning: The Dangers Of Too Much Acetaminophen

• By Susan Farrell, MD, Contributing Editor

Cold and flu season is here.

Peruse the aisles of a local pharmacy or grocery store and you will find more than 30 over-the-counter medications available to treat the symptoms of fever, headache, sore throat, and achy muscles. Many of these multi-symptom products contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. This means cold and flu sufferers who are using multiple combination cough and cold remedies may inadvertently be taking more acetaminophen than they intend and putting themselves at risk for a serious complication: acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity.

Acetaminophen is the most commonly available pain-relieving and fever-reducing medication. It is an ingredient in more than 600 over-the-counter and prescription medications, and it has a remarkable safety profile: the dose at which potential toxicity occurs is dramatically higher than the amount that most adults need to effectively treat their symptoms . Moreover, acetaminophen does not cause the unwanted effects that are associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription opioids. As a result, acetaminophen is known as a very safe and effective over-the-counter medication for the treatment of pain and fever, and is taken by millions of people.

You May Like: Can You Exercise After Flu Shot

What Other Drugs Will Affect Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst

Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst if you are also using any other drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Some medicines can cause unwanted or dangerous effects when used together. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medication guide.

Taking this medicine with other drugs that make you sleepy or slow your breathing can worsen these effects. Ask your doctor before taking Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst with a sleeping pill, narcotic pain medicine, muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety, depression, or seizures.

Tylenol Cold & Cough Nighttime Cool Burst Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives difficult breathing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

In rare cases, acetaminophen may cause a severe skin reaction that can be fatal. This could occur even if you have taken acetaminophen in the past and had no reaction. Stop taking this medicine and call your doctor right away if you have skin redness or a rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling. If you have this type of reaction, you should never again take any medicine that contains acetaminophen.

Stop using the medicine and call your doctor at once if you have:

• severe headache, seizure

Also Check: Does Cvs Give Flu Vaccines

How Should I Take Tylenol Cold & Flu Severe

Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. This medicine is usually taken only for a short time until your symptoms clear up.

Do not take more of this medication than recommended. An acetaminophen overdose can damage your liver or cause death.

Do not give this medication to a child younger than 4 years old. Always ask a doctor before giving cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough or cold medicine in very young children.

Measure liquid medicine with a special dose measuring spoon or medicine cup, not with a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

Dissolve one packet of the powder in at least 8 ounces of hot water. Stir and sip drink immediately while the liquid is hot.

Do not take for longer than 7 days in a row. Stop taking the medicine and call your doctor if you still have a fever after 3 days of use, you still have pain after 7 days , if your symptoms get worse, or if you have a skin rash, ongoing headache, or any redness or swelling.

If you need surgery or medical tests, tell the surgeon or doctor ahead of time if you have taken this medicine within the past few days.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Do not allow liquid medicine to freeze.