Description
Acetaminophen and salicylate combination medicines relieve
pain and reduce fever. They may be used to relieve occasional
pain caused by mild inflammation or arthritis (rheumatism). The
acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine combination also may be
used to relieve pain associated with migraine headaches.
Neither acetaminophen nor salicylamide is as effective as
aspirin for treating chronic or severe pain, or other symptoms,
caused by inflammation or arthritis. Some of these combination
medicines do not contain any aspirin. Even those that do contain
aspirin may not contain enough to be effective in treating these
conditions.
A few reports have suggested that acetaminophen and
salicylates used together may cause kidney damage or cancer of
the kidney or urinary bladder. This may occur if large amounts
of both medicines are taken together for a very long time.
However, taking usual amounts of these combination medicines for
a short time has not been shown to cause these unwanted effects.
Also, these effects are not likely to occur with either
acetaminophen or a salicylate used alone, even if large amounts
have been taken for a long time. Therefore, for long-term use,
it may be best to use either acetaminophen or a salicylate, but
not both, unless you are under a doctor's care.