Excedrin Ingredients & Dosage
Learn more about the pain-fighting ingredients in Excedrin® pain relief products, as well as Head Care* ingredients and suggested use.
INGREDIENTS & DOSAGE GUIDELINES
Select one to see the ingredients and dosage guidelines. All Excedrin products should be taken with a full glass of water.
HOW THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN EXCEDRIN HEADACHE & MIGRAINE RELIEF WORK TOGETHER TO STOP HEADACHES
Evidence suggests that the use of combination analgesics such as Excedrin offer advantages in the treatment of headaches by targeting pain in more than one way.[3]
Excedrin’s specialized formula contains two pain relievers (acetaminophen and aspirin) plus an amplifier (caffeine) that work together to target head pain. Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID. Aspirin helps to block the production of pain signaling chemicals called prostaglandins. The way in which acetaminophen works is still not well understood. However, it is believed to elevate the pain threshold. This allows you to tolerate more pain, therefore providing pain relief. Finally, caffeine has been shown to increase the potency of aspirin and acetaminophen by up to 40 percent. This means less acetaminophen and aspirin is needed to relieve your migraine pain when combined with caffeine.[3,4,5]
Acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine, when taken as directed, provide clinically proven headache relief. Excedrin is a combination of these ingredients: two pain relievers, plus an amplifier to enhance the analgesic effect.
Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, should not be taken with other medicines that also contain acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is contained in many medicines to treat pain, fever, symptoms of cold and flu, and sleep medicines. Do not take more than recommended dose, as this may be harmful, including serious harm to your liver. If you have liver or kidney disease, talk to your doctor before taking acetaminophen.
(250 mg per tablet)
(250 mg per tablet)
(500 mg per tablet)
(250 mg per tablet)
(250 mg per tablet)
(250 mg per tablet)
(250 mg per tablet)
(65 mg per tablet)
(65 mg per tablet)
(65 mg per tablet)
(38 mg per tablet)
12 Years & Older
18 Years & Older
12 Years & Older
12 Years & Older
2 Every 6 Hours
(Max. 8 Per Day)
2 Per Day
(Max. 2 Per Day)
2 Every 6 Hours
(Max. 6 Per Day)
2 Per Day
(Max. 2 Per Day)
18 Years or Older
18 Years or Older
18 Years or Older
1 tablet per day
Limit 2 packets per day
Limit 1 packet per day
CAFFEINE: A KEY INGREDIENT TO THE EXCEDRIN LIST
You may have heard that caffeine can cause or exacerbate headaches, and if so, you’re probably wondering why there’s caffeine in most Excedrin pain relief products.
It’s true that caffeine can be a headache trigger in certain situations, but that’s far from the full story.
Caffeine is referred to as an ‘analgesic adjuvant’. This means that it helps to boost the effects of certain pain relievers. In the case of Excedrin pain relief products, caffeine boosts the pain-relieving effects of aspirin and acetaminophen – making these medicines up to 40% more effective.
That’s why you’ll find caffeine in almost all Excedrin pain relief products. Only Excedrin PM Headache does not contain caffeine, as caffeine consumed too close to bedtime can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep.
Head Care Replenish +Focus also contains caffeine to help support focus.
Head Care products are not intended to treat migraines. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. ^As compared to falling asleep without melatonin. Melatonin helps you fall asleep and is for occasional sleepiness.* †Magnesium helps support proper blood flow to the brain.*
FIND THE EXCEDRIN PRODUCT THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU
Excedrin has been a leader in headache relief for more than 50 years, and the range of Excedrin products contains something for every kind of headache, including tension headaches, nighttime headaches and migraines.
Discover the full Excedrin product range here, or, if you need more help finding the right product for you, try our interactive product selector.
Sources:
- American Migraine Foundation. Understanding Caffeine Headaches. https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/understanding-caffeine-headaches/. Accessed November 27, 2019. Referenced text is highlighted in source PDF.
- Caffeine in the management of patients with headache. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5655397/. Accessed 10/12/19.WebMD. The Link Between Caffeine and Headac
- Combined analgesics in (headache) pain therapy: shotgun approach or precise multi-target therapeutics?. Straube et al. BMC Neurologly. https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2377-11-43. Accessed 20/03/20
- How Do Pain Relievers Work? Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/How-Do-Pain-Relievers-Work. Accessed 31/03/20.
- Aspirin and Migraine. National Headache Foundation. https://headaches.org/2007/10/25/aspirin-and-migraine/. Accessed 31/03/20.
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