Tylenol
Shares rank 5 of 6 pain relievers by recommenders
People recommend it for fever and pain when NSAIDs won't help, and as safer than ibuprofen or Advil when used as directed. Main caveat: liver damage, especially when drinking alcohol.
People recommend it for fever and pain when NSAIDs won't help, and as safer than ibuprofen or Advil when used as directed. Main caveat: liver damage, especially when drinking alcohol.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 10
- approval share
- 33%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Safer than ibuprofen or Advil
“tylenol is a lot safer than ibuprofin when used as directed”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “Tylenol is much less dangerous than, say, Advil.”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed” Safe when taken as directed
“tylenol is a lot safer than ibuprofin when used as directed”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “we know it works, and is safe when taken as directed”
Comment from 11 Oct 2026 in “Terence Tao: Math 2.0 [pdf]”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Liver damage risk, especially with alcohol
“taking Tylenol (or anything with acetaminophen in it like Dayquil/Nyquil) while drinking can cause immediate liver damage”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “You just might die from taking tylenol if you don't realize your liver is already damaged for other reasons.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “they found her liver enzymes were near dangerous levels”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” Acetaminophen in many combination products
“there's no social reason whatsoever that "dayquil" or "tylenol" or "sudafed" should exist when generics are readily available”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “taking Tylenol (or anything with acetaminophen in it like Dayquil/Nyquil) while drinking can cause immediate liver damage”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?”
Other pain relievers people recommend
The four most recommended other pain relievers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibuprofen | 32 | 23 | 58% | 5 | — | — |
| Acetaminophen | 14 | 18 | 44% | 3 | — | — |
| Naproxen | 8 | 7 | 53% | 2 | — | — |
| Paracetamol | 7 | 10 | 41% | 3 | — | — |
| TylenolThis page | 5 | 10 | 33% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“we know it works, and is safe when taken as directed”
“Tylenol poisoning is the leading reason for poison control center calls.”
“It is way more dangerous than many prescription drugs.”
“tylenol is a lot safer than ibuprofin when used as directed”
“there's no social reason whatsoever that "dayquil" or "tylenol" or "sudafed" should exist when generics are readily available”
“they found her liver enzymes were near dangerous levels”
“that is $$$ but exactly that”
“taking Tylenol (or anything with acetaminophen in it like Dayquil/Nyquil) while drinking can cause immediate liver damage”
“Tylenol never seemed to help at all.”
“Tylenol/acetaminophen is good for fever which NSAIDs won't help”
“You just might die from taking tylenol if you don't realize your liver is already damaged for other reasons.”
“Tylenol is much less dangerous than, say, Advil.”
“Taking Tylenol doesn’t have a huge benefit, but severe autism is a catastrophe.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.