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Is It Safe To Take Tylenol And Xanax Together And What Is The Remedy For Anxiety And Insomnia?

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Posted on Fri, 27 Dec 2013
Question: I am prescribed four 1mg xanax a day. Is it ok to take 3 Tylenol pm and the same time as my xanax? I had a death in the family and need anxiety relief and sleep (xanax does help with my sleep)
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Answered by Dr. Preeti Parakh (1 hour later)
Brief Answer: Explained below. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! I presume you will be taking the three Tylenol PM, one each at eight hourly intervals and the Xanax 1 mg each at six hourly intervals. There is no risk in taking Tylenol at the same time with Xanax for short duration in prescribed dosage in people who have a healthy liver. For Tylenol PM, you will need to be extra careful as Tylenol PM contains diphenhydramine which has a sedative effect. When you take it with Xanax 1 mg, you may feel drowsy. In my opinion, when you are on Xanax, you should take plain Tylenol in the daytime and take Tylenol PM only at the night time. If by any chance, you intend to take three tablets of Tylenol PM with each tablet of Xanax 1 mg four times a day, it would have a serious risk of excessive sedation which may impair your ability to drive and do other activities. It would also tax your liver a lot. Xanax will help control your anxiety for a short term and should not be continued for more than a few weeks. If you would be needing treatment for longer, then it would be better to start a safer medicine like a SSRI (Paxil, Zoloft etc) for anxiety and taper off Xanax after a few weeks when the SSRI starts working. Whenever you decide to stop Xanax, take care to taper it off as there are likely to be withdrawal symptoms. Hope this clears up things for you. Please feel free to ask if you need any clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Preeti Parakh

Addiction Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 1486 Questions

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Is It Safe To Take Tylenol And Xanax Together And What Is The Remedy For Anxiety And Insomnia?

Brief Answer: Explained below. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! I presume you will be taking the three Tylenol PM, one each at eight hourly intervals and the Xanax 1 mg each at six hourly intervals. There is no risk in taking Tylenol at the same time with Xanax for short duration in prescribed dosage in people who have a healthy liver. For Tylenol PM, you will need to be extra careful as Tylenol PM contains diphenhydramine which has a sedative effect. When you take it with Xanax 1 mg, you may feel drowsy. In my opinion, when you are on Xanax, you should take plain Tylenol in the daytime and take Tylenol PM only at the night time. If by any chance, you intend to take three tablets of Tylenol PM with each tablet of Xanax 1 mg four times a day, it would have a serious risk of excessive sedation which may impair your ability to drive and do other activities. It would also tax your liver a lot. Xanax will help control your anxiety for a short term and should not be continued for more than a few weeks. If you would be needing treatment for longer, then it would be better to start a safer medicine like a SSRI (Paxil, Zoloft etc) for anxiety and taper off Xanax after a few weeks when the SSRI starts working. Whenever you decide to stop Xanax, take care to taper it off as there are likely to be withdrawal symptoms. Hope this clears up things for you. Please feel free to ask if you need any clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry