I often take painkillers (acetaminophen aka paracetamol), but I’ve noticed that it’s much more effective if I take them TOGETHER with my ADHD medication (ritalin aka methylphenidate) + my morning coffee. If I don’t take them AT the same time, the painkiller is far less effective.

I do not exceed the maximum dosage of painkiller (1gram per intake, mornings), but alone this would barely suffice to kill my morning headache.

My hypothesis is that since the LIVER has to convert all three, I am effectively overdosing on either substance (painkiller or ADHD meds), and damaging my liver in the process.

  • Toes♀
    6•6 months ago

    Seriously talk it over with the doc that prescribed you the ADHD meds. 1 gram of ace is a lot!

    Be clear about what you’re doing and when.

    In my personal experience that may differ from your own. The morning headache could simply be dehydration or minor withdrawal from the meds.

    Generally speaking taking a 2 week break from the pain medication and caffeine may clear up your symptoms. But this is not professional advice, I’m not a medical professional. You should ask a doctor about this suggestion or any other remedies the good people of Lemmy suggest.

    My doctor recommended strongly against having caffeine with the ADHD medications and could potentially indicate that your dosage needs adjusted. It’s bad for your heart and eyeballs.

    If you read the long piece of paper that comes with those medications there is a warning about not consuming them at the same time as other medications. There’s a bunch of good reasons for this disclaimer.