I have a perscription for tylenol 3 but have no idea what the breakdown is in mg. I have taken Vicodin or Norco and know that the 5/325 means 5 mg hydrocodone and 325 mg tylenol. But the tylenol 3- I have no idea what the breakdown is... If someone could let me know please, thank you.
How much tylenol and codeine is in tylenol 3?
Question posted by PurpleButterfies on 13 Sep 2012
Last updated on 31 January 2021
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5 Answers
Jay2781
31 Jan 2021
#1 answer is correct, I would like to add a statement about the second or third answer involving aspirin be very careful taking aspirin my stepdad was told Years Ago by a doctor to take aspirin everyday is a blood thinner after you start having heart problems but either the doctor misled him or he misunderstood the doctor either way he took two adult aspirin every day for the last 20 years of his life until it destroyed his kidneys turn into cancer metastasize to his bones and spread throughout his body eventually succumbing to cancer people should take no more then one baby aspirin per day if not every other or 3 days aspirin is a blood thinner as very hard on your kidneys be very careful
WildcatVet
31 Jan 2021
Thank you for sharing, Jay! People tend to forget that OTC medications are drugs that can have serious consequences if used incorrectly.
Read labels and talk to your pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns.
IMBunbury
6 March 2019
kaismama's answer is correct. I called my pharmacist and got the amounts: 300 mg of acetaminophen and 30 mg of codeine.
Earlier answers and comments about 300 mg being a lot are mistaken. The recommended dosage of Tylenol is two regular strength tablets at 325 mg each or 650 mg total. Extra strength tablets are 500 mg, and a dose of two would be 1000 mg.
According to Harvard Health, the maximum safe limit for Tylenol 4000 mg/day. However, they stress to only take this much if needed, and to stop taking it as soon as possible, They also mention that smaller men and women, and especially children 12 to 18 should limit themselves to no more than 3000 mg/day. Also space them out: for regular strength, take two first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, at dinner and at bedtime; for extra strength, take two first thing in the morning, two around mid-afternoon and two at bedtime. And if you miss a dose DO NOT DOUBLE UP.
The reason it is in many other medications could be because it is also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which means it reduces swelling, as well as a fever reducer. So you will find it in both arthritis and cold/flu medications. Other medications with these same properties are aspirin, ibuprofen (e.g., Motrin) and naproxen (e.g., Aleve). However, acetaminophen is often chosen to combine with other drugs because it is less likely to upset the stomach, and most others are not recommended for people who suffer from stomach issues like ulcers, because the others, especially aspirin, are more likely to cause bleeding.
Overdoses can cause liver damage or failure, requiring a transplant or causing death. These often happen unintentionally because people don't read product labels, like for cold medicines, where it is present to reduce fever, and they take Tylenol (or a generic) along with the cold medicine, effectively doubling the dose.
BTW - Fiorinal can contain acetaminophen or aspirin, in combination with Butalbital, a barbiturate (which causes muscles to relax) and also caffeine, a stimulant. Butalbital or other barbiturates often help with stress headaches, whereas caffeine has been shown to be helpful to some migraine sufferers.
You should not drink alcohol while taking acetaminophen, or limit it to one drink, beer or glass of wine. The combination doubles the stress on the liver to break them down and eliminate them from the body. Heavy drinkers should quit drinking while using acetaminophen. The unintentional overdoses could happen with lower doses of acetaminophen in combination with alcohol.
Minnie1950
5 Nov 2017
My mother, 87 years old, has been taking Tylenol three for about 40 years. For myself, acetaminophen does nothing. When they change the Excedrin formula and added acetaminophen I get pretty perturbed. I have to add regular aspirin when I take the Excedrin now. My mother takes her Tylenol 3 four times a day. Acetaminophen is in everything but when it doesn’t work for you, what do you do? Well I asked my doctor last week for Fiorinal with codeine. I said make sure it’s not the one with acetaminophen. And if you take acetaminophen don’t drink. Because I know someone young who did that and she died. Liver. Be careful out there. And be your own advocate
Zephod
22 June 2017
I realize this was posted 3+ years ago, but there needs to be another voice here. Tylenol by itself, look at taking 2 extra strength Tylenols, twice a day, not too much damage there, in fact probably not much if a lot of water is consumed.
Tylenol #3, 5/day, 30+ years and my liver is functioning as if I was 10.
This drug, WITH Codeine, should not be confused with Oxycodone/Fentynol type. Ask your pharmacist. I was prescribed these 30+ years ago, with Valium and Fioricet, by a physician who spread out the chemical formulas in front of him perused them and decided - for me and my broken back, for which there was no surgical solution - these would be fine.
They have kept me alive.
People who take these meds, as long as the blood tests are done, and the doctor actually talks to them (mine no longer does - E-Mail only) to make sure they aren't over-using them, and they are functioning on all other levels ok, well then ...
I'm sorry that people who ask questions like this, listen to OTHER PEOPLE who only know what they know from the media and scare mongers, or what the read on the ALL KNOWING internet - they screw it up for people like me.
People are going to have bad reactions to ANY medication, realize it, deal with it, and get something else; a friend I know can't take anti-biotics, well I guess that means they're dangerous as hell eh?
Rant not finished but done.
kaismama
13 Sep 2012
There is 30 mg of codiene and 300 of tylenol in each tab.
PurpleButterfies
13 Sep 2012
Thank you :)
meyati
14 Sep 2012
Good god- no wonder I got sick from the acetaminophen!!!
kaismama
14 Sep 2012
I don't think some docs are tuned in yet to all the tylenol they're prescribing. If you point it out, they look surprised. I'd be happy if they stopped putting it in other meds. If you feel you need something to make the pain med stronger, you can always take one a few times a day.
meyati
14 Sep 2012
I took Darvon for years and years, and they added tylenol to it. I even turned green and had my daughter take me to the ER. That was 20 min after leaving the AF pharmacy and we hadn't left town. Then it was pulled off the market 4 TWO things-being highly addictive and ruining people's livers. I just wonder how many of 2days problems R caused by Tylenol?
kaismama
14 Sep 2012
I agree with you. Darvon had aspirin in it. We used alot of it when I was in the army. Then they started messing with it.
meyati
14 Sep 2012
I knew lots of sailors and marines that took it, and they just didn't have problems other then getting drunk in Tijuaana and arrested for not finding a bath room.
kaismama
15 Sep 2012
We didn't try to abuse everything that came down the pike. I don't know why the kids want to escape life rather then live it.
meyati
15 Sep 2012
I think that they are bored. They don't have any outlets. They can't sit and stare at an ant hill and see the wonder of the ants carrying in bits of grass or what ever. Everything is so organised, and that makes it stressful. Also the parents have to have money now, and there are so many laws that didn't exist. When the weather was nice, we'd go to a field and play a type of baseball, ally oop over sheds, keep away, tag, when it was warmer, we'd go to the beach-shore of a lake, river, the ocean. I'd spend hours reading a book under a tree. I'd go to a neighbor's, clean his stable and ride his horses. The area I was in, we were worried about being abducted when walking home from the beach-we were tired-on foot-A guy started following my brother and I, as we got off the main road. He stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride. We said we lived in the next house, walked up to the back gate, and went in.
Then we were scared the owners would have us arrested. A group of 5 female classmates were followed- he drove slow, circled the block, etc. and they walked up to a house, and luck was with them, the key was under the door mat-they went in- cleaned the kitchen, the fridge, mopped, dusted-and the guy stayed out front for awhile-and then came back. I don't think that it really looked like they knew where the key was, or he was waiting for one of the girls to leave-we were 12-14. The family came home, and the husband drove them to their homes. Now the husband would be suspected of being a pervert or something. So the kids are stressed and bored---
kaismama
15 Sep 2012
Parents need to stop pushing their kids so hard to do all these things, however, kids still have the opportunity to do some of the things we did. I am so stressed but I don't take drugs to escape it, somewhere they aren't taught how to cope with anything. To go from drugs not even being a thought to a point where drugs are the answer to everything, in 2 generations is appalling to me. And they don't care that the things they are using to get high can kill them, the first time they try it.
meyati
15 Sep 2012
Kaismama--- You remember TV before drug companies were allowed to advertise on TV? TV and radio broadcasters wanted to advertise, drug companies, Walgreens, etc wanted to do this. They lobbied the federal (FTC?) communications agency-what ever they call it, and the FDA lobbied to do this. The only people and group that protested, sued, and lobbied to block this was the AMA, with its pediatrics group, psychiatrists, family doctors and other specialties. Their reason is that what is happening would happen. That psychologically, children and parents would look for meds to solve problems, instead of family's developing coping skills, that it would cause a psychological familiarity with meds- and that would reduce the sense of caution that we used to have with prescription meds. Thjurs. I was reading an article about this in a different way in the AMA Ejournal-that when prescription meds become over the counter-that patients and pharmacists begin ignoring the warning labels, and feel the med cannot have any physical or mental consequences. Add this to boredom-
kaismama
15 Sep 2012
When people start believing the junk on tv, they have a problem. I hate that they advertise for meds and lawyers on tv. Now the lawyers have computers calling people saying "if you took pradaxa, actos, etc etc..call?" Like people need encouragement to sue. They really tick me off with the phone calls, they're calling my cell phone with this crap. This is all for money. There is no social conscience whatsoever.
delmarw
18 Aug 2013
These comments seem to imply that 300mg is a lot of Tylenol when in reality it's slightly less than one regular over the counterTylenol. Unless a person has a liver problem or allergy to acetaminophen (Tylenol) that's a very small dose, like a child's dose.
PurpleButterfies
19 Aug 2013
The implication is that we are taking more than one in a day and it adds up. No, one 300 mg dose of tylenol is not a lot, over the counter tylenol meds usually contain 500 mg and you are instructed to take 2. For a healthy person you can take up to 4,000 mg a day. But with prescribed pain meds like tylenol 3, if the person is unaware that there is 300 mg of tylenol they might think taking more is ok if it is not adequately relieving the pain, thinking that an increase in codeine is less threatening, forgetting to calculate the amount of tylenol. When I first asked this question I was taking 1-2 tylenol 3s every 4-6 hours as prescribed, but had never taken it before and didn't know the breakdown. The conversation that insued suggested that with the amount that is generally taken, you can quickly be maxing the recommended dose of tylenol and prolonged use can be damaging to your liver.
Its just about being aware of what you're taking, which is why I asked the question in the first place, and the first response sufficiently answered that, but then people sometimes like to chat lol.
terrijean
26 Dec 2014
So there's more codeine in tylenol 3 than hydrocodon?
benji84
26 Feb 2015
That is very strange to me. Cause they say that t-3 is not as strong as perceot or a narco but a narco 10 has only 10mg of codeine but t-3 has 30mg of codeine. So how is it weaker.
Core777
13 May 2015
There are 2 mg of codeine in a Tylenol 3.
Kmad4ke
12 Oct 2015
I forgot who just said there is 2mg of Codeine in Tylenol 3's but kaismama is right... there is 30mg of Codeine/300mg of Tylenol in each pill.
jack_grady
30 Aug 2016
I just registered and thought I'd give some input. I'm from Ireland but moved to California a few years ago. Something I've noticed is that when comparing simple pain or anti-inflammatory tablets, say advil. One advil tablet here is double the dose of one in Ireland. The same commonly used tablets here are of a much higher dose than what's available in Ireland. And the drug adverts are insane. The lost list of 50 side effects, which usually include things like liver failure, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, the list is endless. I'm taking a pharmacy technician certification, so I'll be working with and compounding all those drugs and medications. I could never understand the point of drugs. All they give is a temporary numbness and escape from reality. The effects wear off, then you need more. The biggest thing that I see happening: kids and teenagers being bombarded and overwhelmed with external stimuli. Video games, a laptop, a phone. They become reliant on them for everything. They forget that they have their own brain.
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