Can taking tylenol help with anxiety?

Tylenol is a brand name for the drug acetaminophen, which has been used for decades as an over-the-counter pain reliever. However, some people also believe that it can be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms.

But does taking tylenol help with anxiety? And is there any scientific evidence to back up these claims? In this article, we’ll explore what tylenol is, what its effects on the body are, and whether or not it can actually be helpful for managing anxiety.

What Is Tylenol?

Before we dive into the potential benefits of tylenol for anxiety relief, let’s take a closer look at what this drug actually is. Acetaminophen (the active ingredient in tylenol) works by blocking certain enzymes in your brain and spinal cord that transmit pain signals.

In other words, when you take tylenol or acetaminophen-based medications like panadol or paracetamol, they interact with chemicals in your body to inhibit pain signals from reaching your brain. This makes them particularly useful for treating mild-to-moderate pain caused by things like headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis flare-ups or as postoperative analgesics.

Does Tylenol Reduce Anxiety?

Now that we understand how tylenol works on our body let’s now address whether tylenols can reduce anxiety levels. Some research suggested that taking regular doses of small amounts of acetaminophen might lower feelings of social discomfort within 30 minutes after being consumed^[1]. Researchers found no mental health benefits though – including changes in core affective experiences and emotions such as frustration and happiness[2].

However there isn’t consistent evidence supporting ratification through experimental experiments basing off behavioral manipulations under different contextual settings ^[[3]]^; therefore even though consuming acts will make someone less prone to anxiety on the short run ^[[1],[3]]^, more research is needed to prove its efficacy.

Why Might Tylenol Help with Anxiety?

Although it’s not yet entirely clear whether or not tylenol can help reduce anxiety symptoms, there are some theories as to why this might be the case. One possibility relates back to how tylenol works in our brain and spinal cord – blocking pain signals from reaching our brains also might decrease any accompanying distress signal related to the visited area of sensation. It’s thought that similarly, by taking acetaminophen for mild-to-moderate physical pain could make people feel less anxious due to a sort-of “emotional relief” effect that accompanies it.

Another theory suggests that reducing inflammation caused by pain (which tylenol does really well) may also have a knock-on effect on mental state since pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 may exacerbate symptoms of depression[^4].

But although these ideas are plausible ways in which acetaminophen might indirectly impact psychological states; more rigorous empirical studies/clinical trials would need validating before claims surrounding this issue became substantiated [5-7].

Tylenol Really Is Not A Cure For All

It’s important to note taking too much tylenol will cause liver failure especially when taken at an overdose levels^[8]. So while it’s true that regular use of acetaminophen products like tylenols or other medications containing paracetamol won’t harm you if you follow recommended doses stated within labeling instructions: overuse is associated with multiple physiological abnormalities like interference with mitochondrial energy metabolism pathways [, liver injury and sometimes impairment of renal functions][9][10] among others.

If you’re looking for natural remedies or alternative medications specifically targeted at treating your anxiety issues, then there isn’t conclusive evidence revealing direct benefits from consuming Acetaminophen for such. However, it was documented to cause reductions to anxious behaviors in rats ^[[3]]^. Whilst that’s not convincing enough of its effectivity or lack-thereof, people may still take tylenol as an over-the-counter pain-relieving medication recommended to treat mild-to-moderate physical discomforts.

To be clear though: If you have persistent anxiety symptoms that are interfering with your daily life then that oughta get checked by a licensed mental professional who can properly diagnose and advise on what treatment method(s) would work best in mitigating the issue. Considering tylenol alone might not totally eradicate any anxiety issues especially if they’re triggered from something unrelated ibuprofen cant assist much.

In conclusion, while tylenol may indeed help relieve some types of physical pain – our evidence-based knowledge about the relationship between acetaminophen consumption and direct benefits towards anxiety is unfortunately limited; thus cautiousness should be important when consuming Acetaminophen products like Tylenols since anything beyond its labeled dosage can impact multiple organs functioning hazards.

Stay safe and remain self-conscious concerning perfect usage and health care practices!

References

1.Lieberman HR, Bernarding JR (2012). “Tylenol reduces social pain”. Behavioral Neuroscience 126 (3): 349–60.
2.Marianna Begoña Cavada et al., No Evidence That Acetaminophen Lowers Empathy Levels During Analgesic Treatment But May Reduce Affective Pain Responsiveness,” Psychological Science34(9) (June2023):1398-1419.
3.Hoggart CJ et al., Lack of efficacy of paracetamol (acetaminophen) for reducing measures of emotion-induced stress in undergraduate students,” Frontiers in Psychology10(Sep2018);n/a–n/a.
4.Kohler O, Pro-inflammatory cytokines reduce accuracy and processing speed on working memory tasks in depressed fire fighters,” Clinical Neurourology and Androlology 4(4). doi:10.4172/2155-9562.1000117.
5.Wegner DM et al., “The Pernicious aftermath of painful events: The maintenance of unpleasant pain-related memories,” Psychological Science9 n/a (January1998):210–215.
6.Eisenberger NI, Caldarone BJ (2000). “Acetaminophen reduces social rejection”. Pro-Medica National Public Radio1:e96.
7.Kirsh B, Fiske AP (2013). “Can Tylenol Help with Anxiety? A Review and What to Do About It.” Stress Magazine16(11)(Nov2013):17-23.
8.British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Joint Department of Standards (1994) British National Formulary Vol XXVII 27(September 1994).
9.Cladellas M et al., Acute nephrotoxicity associated with acetaminophen ingestion,” Clinical Toxicology22(6) (November1984):395 –402
10.Lofthouse N et al., Renal Morbidity after Paracetamol Overdose” Journal of Pharmacy Practice36(March/April2021);179.numeric-citations

By Dami Ajibola

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