Taking Tylenol With Allegra
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses whether or not it is safe to combine Allegra and Tylenol.
I have allergies and take Allegra every day. I have a massive headache. Is it okay to take Tylenol with it?
May 16, 2022- You can safely take Tylenol and Allegra together as there are no interactions between these medications. Tylenol lasts 4 to 6 hours per dose and is often taken multiple times daily, while Allegra lasts 24 hours with just one daily dose, which is why they aren't combined into a single product.
Hello and thanks for your questions! It's perfectly safe to combine Allegra (fexofenadine), an antihistamine, and Tylenol (acetaminophen), an analgesic, together. There are no interactions between the drugs. In general, it's safe to combine any antihistamine (e.g. Benadryl, doxylamine, Zyrtec, Xyzal, Claritin etc...) with Tylenol. In fact, some products on the market do contain both (e.g. NyQuil contains doxylamine and acetaminophen).
Why Don't Both Come In One Product?
This is a natural question to ask.
If both are safe to take together, why isn't there a single product that contains both?
The primary reason is simply based on how long each drug works after taking a dose.
Allegra is available in a few different strengths, but most commonly in adults, a 180mg dose is taken just once daily, as it lasts 24 hours.
Tylenol on the other hand, which also is available in different strengths (325mg 'regular' and 500mg 'extra strength' being the most common), lasts 4 to 6 hours per dose.
As Tylenol is often dosed several times throughout the day to help relieve minor aches, pains, and related symptoms, it just doesn't make sense to combine them into one product if Allegra is only intended to be taken once daily.
Final Words
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References & sources
- Fexofenadine Monograph — https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/fexofenadine
- Acetaminophen Monograph — https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/acetaminophen
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Antihistamine
- A medication that blocks the effects of histamine in the body to relieve allergy symptoms like itching and sneezing.
- Analgesic
- A medication used to relieve pain.
- Fexofenadine
- The active ingredient in Allegra, an antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms.
- Acetaminophen
- The active ingredient in Tylenol, a pain reliever and fever reducer.
- Doxylamine
- An antihistamine used in some over-the-counter products, including NyQuil, often to help with sleep.
- Interactions
- Unwanted effects that occur when two medications are taken together and affect how each other works.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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