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Hydrocodone is a narcotic, which binds to certain nerves, as I understand, allowing the pain signals to be blocked. However, most Hydrocodone prescribed to you as pain reliever for tooth ache and etc, is actually only around 5 milligrams Hydrocodone, mixed in with 495 milligrams Tylenol (Acetaminophen). So when you see 500 milligram Hydrocodone pills, you are mainly getting Tylenol. In fact, in certain cases, Tylenol will work just as well as the Hydro's.

I believe part of the reason for the difference in dosages, is that in order to get high or whatever on the Hydrocodone, you would have to overdose on Acetaminophen first. But you really don't need a lot of Hydro to take care of most legitimate needs.

Tylenol is the safest of the over the counter pain relievers available. Acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol, can damage the liver and kidneys if you do not drink enough water with them, or take too much of it. But in the entire history of Tylenol, they have a safe and proven track record. As I remember reading some time ago, there have been no cases where there has been liver or kidney damage related to Tylenol usage. Even if there actually have been, they probably were related to overdose, or prolonged use, and such cases are probably few in number. You can check out their website for all the info on the stuff.

Aspirin is bad for people, because it blocks the regeneration of stomach linings, and also thins out your blood. This is why people sometimes joke that "Aspirin will eat your gut up". It's not really a joke. But when in cases of doubt, skepticism, or anything, the best policy is "all things in moderation". I know many people who have suffered internal bleeding from constant use of Aspirin.

I am not a doctor, but I have used enough of this stuff in my short life to be curious about these things and how they work. You can google these things, or go to www.drugs.com I think is the website, they have full descriptions of all medications and active ingredients in over the counter meds. This information is accurate to the best of my knowledge, undoubtedly some of you folks out there could more than expand on what I have discussed. Always follow the directions on the containers, if you don't think something is working, do not double up on it if it means breaking your instructions. Taking too much of something you aren't supposed to IS what causes kidneys and livers to get damaged.

Learn more about this author, Adam Koch.
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