An inexpensive alternative to a prescription drug.
Written: Jun 23 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, non-prescription and fast acting.
Cons: Dependancy and risk of other problems associated with drug over-use.
The Bottom Line: Fast acting and relatively inexpensive. Can't ask for much more.
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| psimon's Full Review: Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets, Pain Reliever, 25... |
A few years ago my wife suffered a concussion by standing up to quickly (in the wrong place) inside one of those wooden playgrounds (the ones with castles and bridges and all sorts of other fun stuff).
The doctor prescribed a medication which contained aspirin, acetaminophen, caffeine and a another substance. Because of this 'other substance' (to be left unnamed), the pill became a prescription drug.... an expensive drug, too. Because of this 'substance' there were restrictions on taking the medication as to taking with food, time of day, etc. Not good! Too restrictive.
I after poking around the medicine shelves in the store I realized there was an alternative. I pointed out to her that Excedrin - Extra Strength is the same chemical composition as her prescription drug, just without that 'other substance'. After verifying it on a number of drug reference web sites, all of the ingredients in Extra Strength Excendrin were even in the same dosage and proportions as the prescription product! Because of this she stopped the prescription product and tried Excedrin. She was amazed that the Excedrin gave her the same results without the big bill! The pain went away.
Two Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets contain 500mg of Acetaminophen, the same amount you would get if you took 2 Extra Strength Tylenol. They have 130mg of Caffeine, about as much as 2 cups of coffee (depending on how you brew your coffee). It also has 500mg of Aspirin, about as much as you would take for a regular aspirin dosage.
Turns out that the purpose of the caffeine is to dilate the blood vessels in the brain. This dilation tends to, just by itself, reduce the pain of headaches.
The caffeine and aspirin also reduces pain, but through other mechanisms. Those I won't go into here, but are part of the same mechanisms that reduce fever and other 'inflammations'.
As with all drugs, Extra Strength Excedrin can not be taken for extended periods of time without risk of other physiological problems. Consult your doctor if you are concerned.
The "Caplet" version of Extra Strength Excedrin are basically pills that have been reshaped like long slender capsules, and then coated to assist in the "going-down" of the drug. There are some that find these easier to swallow than regular tablets. That is the significant difference. These will work just as quickly as regular tablets. Shape is the feature here.
I HIGHLY recommend these pills for headaches and other body aches and pains. They work extremely well, work very quickly, and are fairly inexpensive. What more could you ask for in a drug!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
psimon
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: NJ
Reviews written: 155
Trusted by: 23 members
About Me:
Engineer that loves Disney, computers, photography and anything that merges those hobbies!
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