# Excedrin makes me feel great! Unbelievable!



## El Duderino (Aug 19, 2010)

I cannot believe what I am about to say but out of all the meds I have tried I find that Excedrin(yes the headache medicine) makes me feel the best of all! When I take it I get this unbelievably clear headed feeling, I feel full of energy and very relaxed, I can sit still in front of a computer for long periods of time and feel comfortable the whole time. Usually I have to switch positions and move around or take breaks over time because I get uncomfortable. With excedrin I feel incredibly relaxed the whole time. I become very focused and talkative to. I can easily motivate myself to do things. My SA seems to totally disappear when im interacting with people. Its like my brain has woken up from the dead or something. Unreal that a freakin headache pill can have such effects on me.

Its definately not placebo either because when I first took it, I was fully expecting to just get headache relief that you would get from tylenol. The feelings I get seem so pronounced.

I know your probably thinking its just the caffein and maybe it is, but I also drink coffee everyday and even have days where I drink pots of it and never get these type of effects. 

Im also currently taking 20mg of adderall XR daily which I do like but its just not the same. With adderall I become focused, motivated and anxiety diminishes somewhat. With excedrin I get these type of effects but feel so much more clear headed which I dont get from adderall.

Can someone please explain to me what it is about excedrin that might be giving me these wonderful effects? Has anyone else had a similar reaction to it? How much caffeine is in Excedrin compared to a cup of coffee?


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## Echonnector (Sep 12, 2010)

perhaps the caffiene coadministered with the painkiller things in excedrin (aspirin and something) helps kill the headache because caffiene causes vasodilation and the excedrine helps cuz its for pain...sorry for the lazy answer im falling out had high dose valium and kpinz lol


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## CuartaVez (Dec 8, 2009)

excedrine has caffeine?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

CuartaVez said:


> excedrine has caffeine?


Yeah, otherwise they'd just be selling expensive aspirin (Bayer has the overpriced brand name aspirin market cornered).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excedrin

There are various formulas, but 65 mg seems typical.

You can buy pure caffeine pills dirt cheap. Walmart sells them for about 3 cents a pill, 200 mg per pill.

I used to think caffeine had zero effect on me, but I've since found it's a dosage issue. The typical 35-40 mg of caffeine in a cola isn't enough for me to notice. Push that up to 200 mg all at once from a caffeine tablet, then I do notice it making me alert & awake.

That effect is dramatically different from dextroamphetamine (the main component of Adderall), which puts me in a less unhappy state, but doesn't really wake me up. If I'm tired amphetamines are not going to keep me awake at all. You'd expect such a potent stimulant would, but it doesn't for me at least.

The first time I ever tried a Dexedrine capsule a decade ago I took a three hour nap after taking it. How'd I get these capsules? I got them from a guy with ADD who couldn't stand the insomnia they caused him. He went back to Ritalin as it's less potent and didn't cause insomnia for him. He couldn't sleep, while I could take it and have a few hours of nap!

Further proof that how we react to meds will vary greatly.

As for the OP, I say it's the caffeine and nothing else. No other explanation makes any sense. Do aspirin and/or tylenol really sound like they're going to have any CNS effect?


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## Ayiluy (May 27, 2013)

This is exactly what I experience when I take Excedrin Migraine and I have been mystified and thrilled by the effect. I too drink copious amounts of coffee but it never has this effect on me. I become clear-headed, motivated and energetic which is so different from my usual state of fogginess and excruciating apathy and detachment. It makes me feel alive and present for a few hours which also helps with depression. I have mentioned this to a few doctors and they all just shrug and say there shouldn't be any difference between drinking a few cups of coffee and taking Excedrin in terms of caffeine content. Perhaps it's all that caffeine hitting your system at once as opposed to sip by sip? 

But as much as I like it, you have to really be careful and not to overdo it. Taking Excedrin regularly could negatively effect your liver as well as cause stomach ulcers.


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

The caffeine is used to increase metabolism and thus efficacy and absorption of the analgesic.

It also helps with headaches.


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## Spungo (Jul 30, 2012)

Sacrieur said:


> The caffeine is used to increase metabolism and thus efficacy and absorption of the analgesic.
> 
> It also helps with headaches.


That's also why caffeine withdrawal causes headaches. People who are addicted to coffee always complain about having migraine headaches when they stop drinking coffee. 
I wonder how much those people drink. I drink coffee all day monday to friday and I'm not addicted to caffeine; there's no withdrawal on the weekend.



> I have mentioned this to a few doctors and they all just shrug and say there shouldn't be any difference between drinking a few cups of coffee and taking Excedrin in terms of caffeine content. Perhaps it's all that caffeine hitting your system at once as opposed to sip by sip?


Caffeine seems to depend a LOT on how it enters the body. Coffee will get me high as hell but it's a very hard crash. Caffeine pills are milder even though they contain more caffeine. Swallowing coffee beans whole is the best IMO. It's a very mild stimulation for a long time.


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

It depends on half-life. It's on average 6 hours but varies quite a bit. This means it's going to take ~2 days on average to completely clear it out of the system.

It also usually doesn't take much caffeine to prevent withdrawal symptoms. A bar of chocolate is enough for most.


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## Chickenchucks (Feb 19, 2015)

Excedrin has the exact same effect on me and I too have some anxiety and am someone that can't sit still. I used to take excedrin before a test at school and it worked better than adderall for me. I also am on 20 mg adderall daily and can take a nap if I don't have some caffeine with it. 
Ok so here is my theory on why excedrin has this effect. Aspirin is a blood thinner, caffeine is a CNS stimulant, so now you have thinner blood and more of it going to your brain, thinner blood will travel faster in your vessels and possibly permeate the blood brain barrier more efficiently. I doubt the Tylenol contributes the the focus effect.


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## jml1 (Aug 15, 2015)

Excedrin has the same effect on me--I feel very clear headed and have a lot more energy. I was diagnosed with very low cortisol and also take pregnenolone (25-50 mg/day). As long as I take the pregnenolone, I don't feel exhausted after the excedrin wears off. I do feel exhausted after drinking coffee or taking OTC caffeine pills (65 mg) and aspirin (250 mg) in the same dosages as excedrin (trying to avoid the tylenol (250 mg) in the excedrin). Any ideas why this might happen?


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## CrazyEd (Jun 25, 2011)

Funny, I felt like taking Excedrin also made me feel really relaxed with less anxiety. It also really helps with my headaches.

I wondered if others felt this relaxing effect so I googled Excedrin and feel relaxed and found this thread.

Yes I totally agree the Excedrin really works well and makes me feel relaxed and also knocks out my headaches. 

I used to take hydro condone for my emergency migraines but I find Excedrin does the job just as well. 

I don't drink coffee ever so maybe that is part of the reason but you guys mentioned that you do and still feel better. I also cut my Excedrin pills in half and take half dosages instead of a full pill to hopefully get more use out of the pills and have them not lose their affect. The half dosage works well because I am really skinny and don't need a full pill.


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## Rabbit13 (May 22, 2017)

Yes, the same thing happens for me, Excedrin works wonderfully! Relieves my headaches (in part from poor sleep brought on by anxiety problems) and also allows me to focus, feel less anxious, get things done and stop feeling guilty and/or always worrying about being behind. I have read that acetaminophen can help with "psychological pain" much like it acts like an analgesic for physical pain but the effect I get from excedrin or some off-brand/generic substitute with the same formulation is definitely better than what I get if I take acetaminophen while drinking coffee, so maybe it's the combination of all three: acetaminophen, caffeine, and aspirin that's responsible for the effect and also maybe it needs to be in the correct dosage ratio, etc. I would take it all the time except that I've read that acetaminophen can be hard on your liver if taken daily.... But maybe one instead of two pills or some other kind of dose reduction can help prevent that. Would certainly LIKE to take it daily!!


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## Ventura (May 5, 2009)

Have you been tested for ADHD?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Scattered Pieces said:


> Have you been tested for ADHD?


I don't even know what that test would involve.

I originally got dextroampetamine for treatment resistant (read: suicidal) depression.

I'm not sure if my former pdoc really thought I had ADHD-Primary Inattentive, or if it was just a nifty fiction that better justified a C-II drug than does depression where its use is frowned upon in modern (read: dumbass) medical circles.


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## SuperMetroid (Nov 17, 2016)

As a regular sufferer of severe headaches, I've long wanted to try the American version of Excedrin but haven't been able get any here as the mixture of acetaminophen and aspirin is illegal in Canada. May have to score some off eBay and see if it does anything for me besides ridding me of headaches.

This thread reminds me that Nyquil is an over-the-counter drug that never fails to make me feel amazing. I'd feel like a dork taking some when I don't have a cold and I worry that taking it long-term could be risky. But, despite this, I often consider taking it regularly anyway. Because anxiety sucks.


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## MaeMae (2 mo ago)

El Duderino said:


> I cannot believe what I am about to say but out of all the meds I have tried I find that Excedrin(yes the headache medicine) makes me feel the best of all! When I take it I get this unbelievably clear headed feeling, I feel full of energy and very relaxed, I can sit still in front of a computer for long periods of time and feel comfortable the whole time. Usually I have to switch positions and move around or take breaks over time because I get uncomfortable. With excedrin I feel incredibly relaxed the whole time. I become very focused and talkative to. I can easily motivate myself to do things. My SA seems to totally disappear when im interacting with people. Its like my brain has woken up from the dead or something. Unreal that a freakin headache pill can have such effects on me. Its definately not placebo either because when I first took it, I was fully expecting to just get headache relief that you would get from tylenol. The feelings I get seem so pronounced. I know your probably thinking its just the caffein and maybe it is, but I also drink coffee everyday and even have days where I drink pots of it and never get these type of effects. Im also currently taking 20mg of adderall XR daily which I do like but its just not the same. With adderall I become focused, motivated and anxiety diminishes somewhat. With excedrin I get these type of effects but feel so much more clear headed which I dont get from adderall. Can someone please explain to me what it is about excedrin that might be giving me these wonderful effects? Has anyone else had a similar reaction to it? How much caffeine is in Excedrin compared to a cup of coffee?


 Yes I had this exact same reaction! I had a rough night, and could not shut my brain off which often results in sporadic dreams and sleep paralysis. I woke up with a headache and took some tynenol. It relieved the headache but the tension was lingering and my mind felt clouded and clustered. Later on at work my thoughts are racing, can't focus and the headache has returned. This results in me having all around low energy and am just struggling at this point. I ask a coworker if we had aspirin or Advil stashed anywhere. She went to ask around and returned with a bottle of Excedrin. I had never taken Excedrin before. I decided to take 2 250 mg pills and OMG!! The results I got shortly after taking it shocked me. My headache and tension was gone but that's what it's supposed to do right.!!! All of sudden my mind was totally clear, and the rambling thoughts had ceased. I was thinking of course but way less and more focused thought. My energy and mood was boosted and I felt like I could work longer if I wanted to. 15min prior I wasn't sure I could make it through my shift! I have never had this combination of effects from any other headache / migraine medication I've taken so I checked out the ingredients in Excedrin and saw that it combines Acetaminophen, Aspirin and Coffee. Theses three together gave me results I was not expecting but truly grateful for. ......and obviously I'm not the only one!


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