Is Tylenol Safe To Take With Lexapro?

Hello and thanks for your question!

It's always a good idea to check into potential drug interactions, especially when it involves antidepressant drugs, as they tend to have many drug interactions.

So, let's get into it!

Tylenol With Lexapro

Tylenol (acetaminophen) is the most commonly used over-the-counter analgesic.

While it is not absent of drug interactions, it has far fewer serious interactions than other analgesics, such as Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen).

As it concerns Lexapro, Tylenol is safe to take with it. There are no known interactions. In fact, it is generally the analgesic of choice in those taking antidepressants.

In most cases, it is the safer choice when compared to other over-the-counter analgesics like NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen).

Why Tylenol Is Preferred

As mentioned, Tylenol is generally the preferred analgesic in those taking antidepressants like Lexapro since there is no drug interaction between the two.

NSAIDs on the other hand, like Advil and Aleve, do interact with most antidepressants.

Studies show that the combination of NSAIDs and antidepressants (mostly SSRIs like Lexapro) not only increases the risk of bleeding but also can reduce the effectiveness of the antidepressant.

One study, published in Pharmacotherapy, concluded the following:

Concurrent use of an SSRI and NSAID increases the risk of gastrointestinal adverse outcomes such as bleeding.

Another found that those who combined SSRIs and NSAIDs has less of a chance of depression going into remission. It stated:

 Our data indicate that clinicians should carefully balance the therapeutic benefits of antiinflammatory agents versus the potentially negative consequences of antagonizing the therapeutic efficacy of antidepressant agents in patients suffering from depression

While more data is needed in regard to the bleeding risk and how NSAIDs could affect antidepressant effectiveness, it is safe to say that Tylenol is not known to have these risks.

Final Words

Thanks again for reaching out! Let us know if we can be of further help.