

If your liver isn’t doing well to begin with, it’s best to avoid alcohol or high doses of acetaminophen, and definitely don’t combine them. People with chronic liver diseaseĬhronic liver disease can be due to many causes, including infections, genetics, or autoimmune conditions - conditions when a person’s immune system attacks their body, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Don’t forget to add any acetaminophen that’s in combination medications to this daily total. Recommended maximum daily doses of OTC acetaminophen are 3,000 mg of acetaminophen per day. If you are taking higher doses, it’s best to speak with your healthcare provider about whether drinking any alcohol is safe for you. If you drink any alcohol at all, make sure you only take recommended doses of acetaminophen. Adding alcohol to the mix raises the risk of this side effect. Taking too much acetaminophen can also cause liver damage. People taking more Tylenol than recommended If you have three or more drinks per day on a daily basis, or have a history of drinking too much alcohol, then you’re more likely to get liver damage from acetaminophen even if you take recommended doses. Adding acetaminophen to the mix raises the risk of this complication. People drinking more alcohol than recommendedĪs mentioned, drinking too much alcohol can cause liver damage. People that fall into these groups should avoid mixing the two if possible. However, the following are the most common scenarios where there’s a higher risk of liver damage from combining alcohol and acetaminophen. It’s always best to discuss your personal risks with your healthcare provider before combining any medication with alcohol. Are certain people more at risk when combining alcohol and acetaminophen? Some people may need to be more careful, though, as they may be more likely to experience liver damage when mixing the two. If you are considering combining these substances, it’s best to do so only if you’ve been drinking a moderate amount of alcohol - people assigned male at birth should have two drinks or less per day, and people assigned female at birth should have one drink or less per day.

Most people are fine taking acetaminophen and alcohol together as long as they take typical doses of acetaminophen and only combine them every once in a while. It’s usually safe to have one or two drinks around the same time that you take an occasional dose of acetaminophen. Knowing this, it makes sense that liver health is the biggest concern when combining these two substances. Likewise, taking too much acetaminophen at one time - or taking a lot on a daily basis - can cause liver damage. Because of how common they both are, it can be easy to forget that they can make a potentially dangerous combination.ĭrinking too much alcohol for long periods of time can cause liver damage. adults take acetaminophen every week, and over half of adults have had a drink in the past month. Can I take Tylenol with alcohol?īoth acetaminophen and alcohol use are common in the U.S. If you drink alcohol regularly, or if you ever have more than a couple of drinks at one time, make sure you understand the health risks before reaching for that bottle of Tylenol. While acetaminophen is generally considered safe, there are some instances when you may want to be more careful about taking it. It’s also used in various prescription medications, especially those used to treat pain. It’s included in OTC combination products, such as those taken for cold and flu symptoms. Not only is acetaminophen a popular medication on its own, it’s also a common ingredient in many other medications. In fact, you probably have some acetaminophen in your home right now. It doesn’t tend to cause side effects like stomach upset or drowsiness, and it’s cheap and available over-the-counter (OTC). For many of us, acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the go-to medication for treating minor aches and pains or the occasional fever.
