Over-the-Counter Painkillers: How Much Is Too Much?

Over-the-counter painkillers seem like a convenient solution to pain, but it’s easier that you’d think to take too many. Find out how much is too much.
 over-the-counter painkillers
October 2022. This article is independently written by Shelby Golding. All opinions given are hers. Shelby has been certified as a personal trainer and nutritional specialist since 2007. In 2008, she found her passion for writing about these topics and hasn’t looked back.

 over-the-counter painkillers

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A Word of Caution

Painkillers aren’t a magic solution, and they can damage your health if you take too many. But many people aren’t quite sure how much is too much, and few people track how many painkillers they take each day.

At Kailo, we believe that it’s always best to handle your pain without painkillers whenever possible. The Kailo pain relief patch is designed to relieve pain in seconds, but what about when you need painkillers anyway? In that case, it’s essential to be cautious that you’re never ingesting more that your body can readily handle.

We’ve collected information about common over the counter (OTC) painkillers, along with dosage guidelines. Keep reading to find out if you’ve been taking too much and bookmark this guide as a reference for future aches, pains, and injuries. 

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The best approach to painkillers is a cautious one. Always read the back of the bottle before you take painkillers. This is your first and best source of dosage information, and you should never take more than the recommended amount. Never take more than the recommended dosage on the bottle or more than your provider recommends.

It’s also important to speak with your doctor or pharmacist before you start taking an OTC painkiller that’s new to you. If you’re taking other medications, you need to ensure that the painkiller you’ve chosen won’t interfere with or overlap with your current prescriptions.

Additionally, speak with your doctor if you take OTC painkillers frequently so you can watch out for side effects. Read the warning label before taking painkillers and throw them away once they’re past the expiration date.
Important: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to help you treat or manage an overdose. If you or someone you know may have overdosed on painkillers, call local emergency services (911) or the National Poison Control Centers (1-800-222-1222) immediately.

Guidelines for Common OTC Painkillers

Guidelines for Common OTC Painkillers
OTC painkillers can help relieve minor aches and pains, as well as fevers. And because they’re over the counter, you can buy these painkillers without a prescription from your doctor.
The most common types of OTC painkillers include:
  • Acetaminophen
  • Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like naproxen and ibuprofen
There are benefits and risks with every type of painkiller, and some painkillers are better for different people or types of pain. We’ve outlined the guidelines for these common OTC painkillers below for your reference.

Aspirin and Other NSAIDs

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID. It’s one of the most widely used medications in the world with 58 billion doses taken each year. Ibuprofen and naproxen are also popular NSAIDs.
These medications work by inhibiting the production of enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) responsible for pain, fever, swelling, inflammation, and blood clots (aspirin only). Here’s more about each one:

Aspirin: OTC aspirin is used to relieve mild to moderate pain and reduce fever. It can help with muscle aches, headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis pain, toothaches, and back aches. In some* cases, with a doctor’s supervision, aspirin is also used to prevent heart attacks, ischemic strokes, and mini-strokes.

Ibuprofen: OTC ibuprofen is used to relieve and reduce minor aches, pains, and fevers. It can help with muscle aches, headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis pain, toothaches, and backaches.

Naproxen: OTC naproxen is used to relieve and reduce mild pain and fevers. It can help with muscle aches, headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis pain, toothaches, and backaches.

*Note: While aspirin was once recommended for everyone to reduce the risk of heart attack, these guidelines are changing. Do this under a doctor’s supervision.

Benefits

The benefits of aspirin and other NSAIDs include:
  • Relieves and reduces aches, pains, fever, swelling, and inflammation.
  • Safe for most people when taken for periods no longer than 10 days.

Warnings

The benefits of aspirin and other NSAIDs include:
  • Never take two types of NSAIDs together unless otherwise instructed by your doctor to avoid accidental overdose.
  • Aspirin is not safe for children under the age of 18 due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome.
  • NSAIDs may interact with other medications, especially blood thinners, and must be cleared by a doctor or pharmacist.
  • Talk to your provider before taking NSAIDs if you have stomach ulcers, digestive tract bleeding, kidney disease, heart disease, or high blood pressure.

Overdose Symptoms

Aspirin and NSAID overdose can cause symptoms including:
  • Burning pain in the throat or stomach
  • Confusion
  • Decreased urination
  • Dizziness
  • Double vision
  • Drowsiness
  • Excited mood
  • Fear or nervousness
  • Fever
  • Hallucinations
  • Irritability
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Restlessness
  • Seizures
  • Talking a lot and saying things that do not make sense
  • Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
  • Vomiting
If you notice these symptoms and suspect that you or someone you know may have overdosed on aspirin or NSAIDs, call local emergency services (911) or the National Poison Control Centers (1-800-222-1222) immediately.

Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol or paracetamol, is a non-NSAID painkiller that offers many of the same benefits. It does not relieve inflammation, as NSAIDs do, but it is often recommended for arthritis pain because it presents fewer side effects than many other pain medicines.

It’s theorized to work by inhibiting the uptake and blocking the production of COX enzymes. However, this is still speculative information and researchers do not fully understand the mechanisms by which acetaminophen functions. 

Benefits

The benefits of acetaminophen include:
  • Relieves headaches, fever, and common aches and pains.
  • Does not cause as many stomach issues and side effects as other medications.
  • Safe for most people when taken for periods no longer than 10 days

Warnings

The risks and warnings associated with acetaminophen include:
  • Never take more than 3,000 mg (3 grams) of acetaminophen in one day, as large amounts can damage your liver. This is equivalent to 9 regular OTC pills or 6 extra-strength OTC pills.
  • If you have liver disease, do not take more than 2,000 mg (2 grams) of acetaminophen in one day. It’s best to check with your doctor to find a safe amount for your health.
  • Consult your doctor if you are taking other OTC or prescription pain medications before taking acetaminophen.
  • Taking too much acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage that leads to the need for liver transplantation surgery or cause death.  

Overdose Symptoms

Acetaminophen overdose can cause symptoms including:
  • Extreme tiredness
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Pain in the upper right section of the stomach
  • Sweating
  • Unusual bruising or bleeding
  • Vomiting
  • Yellowing of eyes or skin
If you notice these symptoms and suspect that you or someone you know may have overdosed on aspirin or NSAIDs, call local emergency services (911) or the National Poison Control Centers (1-800-222-1222) immediately.

How Much Is Too Much?

How Much Is Too Much

It’s okay to take NSAIDs or acetaminophen for occasional pain, but these OTC medicines usually aren’t good for long-term use. “People don’t realize that these doses all add up, and before you know it you’ve exceeded the recommended dose,” says Harvard’s Dr. Melisa Lai Becker.

Here are the general recommendations:

  • NSAIDs: Unless otherwise recommended by your doctor, avoid taking NSAIDs for more than 10 days in a row for pain and three days for fever.
  • Acetaminophen: Unless otherwise recommended by your doctor, avoid taking acetaminophen for more than 10 days in a row.

For maximum daily dosage and dosage spacing, consult the bottle. This varies based on the strength and release method of the specific OTC painkiller you’re taking.

Track your painkiller use on a calendar, writing down how much of what OTC medicine you take each day. Record each dose and ensure you’re never taking them for more than 10 days in a row or exceeding the daily limit.

While recording every pill might seem tedious, it’s an essential step to protecting your health if you use OTC painkillers. This information can also help your doctor with diagnosis if you experience symptoms from taking too many painkillers.

There’s a Better Way

It’s easy to accidentally take painkillers for more than 10 days in a row when you live with chronic pain. Or to exceed the daily recommended dosage on bad days. That’s the risk with OTC painkillers because you can buy as many as you’d like without a doctor’s supervision. Always record your painkiller use and pay close attention to how many you’re taking and how often.

We recommend using the Kailo Pain Patch to help reduce your OTC painkiller use. It’s designed to relieve pain within seconds and doesn’t involve any OTC (or prescription) painkillers – scientists theorize that it works by interfering with the body’s electrical system. A recent clinical study showed that 97% of users were extremely satisfied with Kailo over oral medication and  that 98% of patients significantly decreased their use of oral medication when using Kailo.

Disclaimer: Kailo should not be used if you have a pacemaker or are pregnant. Always consult your doctor or health care professional before using Kailo.

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RETURN POLICY

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Returns

We hope you will be happy with your purchase. If for any reason you are not satisfied, we hope to make it right. Please review our return policy below, select a preferred method of contact and we’ll do our very best to accommodate your return.

Reducing pain is your first priority and it is also ours. We have designed our return policy to promote that.

 

These are our return policy best practices:

  • Take all of the time offered in our return policy to allow you time to find the right placement for your patch.
  • Simply contacting us before the return policy window is over and getting started on the steps gives you access to a full return.
  • If your purchase included any “Free” patches, you must return the free patches to receive reimbursement for the paid patches.
  • We offer returns on gifted products. An order number will be required to process a return. Gift recipients are not entitled to the refund.
  • If you send products to us for a refund and you haven’t followed the return policy steps, we will not ship the products back to you.
  • We offer return shipping labels for domestic purchases of The Element Patch only. All other products must be returned at the customers’ expense.

     

RETURN POLICY STEPS

First Step: Contact our customer service team at support@gokailo.com and let them know that you’d like to return your products.

Second Step: Our customer service team member will ask you some questions about your efforts to reduce pain using our patches. Please work with us through this process because we want to give you the best opportunity possible to eliminate your pain. They will ask you:

  1. Have you seen our placement videos that give you ideas of where to place the patch for your specific pain?
    CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PLACEMENT VIDEOS
  2. Have you scheduled a 20 minute video call with our placement concierge service because sometimes it requires a demonstration to get the correct placement?
    CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CONCIERGE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE

Third Step: Our customer service team will send you a return authorization form. If you are returning The Element patch and live in the U.S., our customer service team will also provide you a prepaid envelope to return the product.

 

Fourth Step: Mail your product(s) to the address on the return authorization form within 2 weeks from the time we email you the return authorization form. See the detail below about return policy lengths by product and what should be returned.

 

Fifth Step: Our returns team will receive your return, compare it to what you purchased, and refund you according to what you returned. Once returned products are received, refunds are issued within 3-5 business days to the credit card that was used to make the purchase.

 

 

THE FLEX PAIN PATCH

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 30 days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

  • The Flex Pain patch
  • Do not return the packaging
  • Do not return any of the 5 free adhesives that came with the patch

 

THE KAILO PAIN PATCH

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 90 days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

    • The Kailo Pain patch
    • Do not return the packaging
    • Do not return any of the 3 free adhesives that came with the patch
    • Do not return the felt protective pocket

 

KAILO ADHESIVE 10-PACKS

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 90 Days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

    • As many adhesives as you have remaining. You will be refunded for Adhesives that are unused and undamaged.

 

EXTRA STRENGTH ADHESIVE 10-PACKS

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 90 Days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

    • As many adhesives as you have remaining. You will be refunded for Adhesives that are unused and undamaged.

 

FLEX ADHESIVE 5-PACKS

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 30 Days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

  • As many adhesives as you have remaining. You will be refunded for Adhesives that are unused and undamaged.

 

KT-TAPE ADHESIVES

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 90 Days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

    • Any package of KT-tape that is unopened, unused, and not purchased through a subscription or part of an Element kit can be returned for a full refund.

 

KAILO COHESIVE BANDAGE

Return Policy Length: Contact Us Within 90 Days
Subscriptions are not eligible for returns

 

What should be returned:

    • Any package of Kailo Cohesive tape that is unopened, unused, and not purchased through a subscription or part of an Element kit can be returned for a full refund.

 

THE KAILO ARMBAND

Return/Exchange Policy Length: Contact Us Within 30 days

 

What should be returned:

  • The Kailo Armband
  • Do not return the packaging
  • We offer one size exchange for the Armband if needed

 

NEED ASSISTANCE?

Please email us at the link below and include your name and order number for questions about a previous purchase.

support@gokailo.com

GET IN TOUCH

Kailo is far more than just a business for us. If you need to reach us for any reason, please email support@gokailo.com. A live agent can answer questions about our company, our products, placement help for your specific pain, and order-and-return information.

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