Had No Idea Paracetemol and Ibuprofen Were Called Something Else in the USA

[ashbash159]

I had no idea paracetamol is commonly referred to as Tylenol and ibuprofen commonly referred to as Advil in the USA.

I think I've heard people say Tylenol and Advil a million times in media and on streams and never thought to ask what it was until I searched today.

Anyone else not realise this?

 

[aisback]

I'm in the UK and never knew this either

 

[Calamari41]

I had no idea paracetamol is commonly referred to as Tylenol and ibuprofen commonly referred to as Advil in the USA.

I think I've heard people say Tylenol and Advil a million times in media and on streams and never thought to ask what it was until I searched today.

Anyone else not realise this?

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Those are brands. People still know the drug itself by the actual names.

 

[ILikeFeet]

one's a generic name, the other is a brand name. it's like clorox and bleach, or kleenex and tissue

 

[Grimminski]

ALL HAIL THE CORPORATE BRAND NAMES

 

[Qasiel]

Me neither. I figured Tylenol was a brand name like Nurofen or something.

 

[ReplacementPelican]

Is it because in the US they're using brand names or is it just a totally different name?

 

[Tommi]

Mind blown. Never knew this. Kinda the same thing with Lexapro. I only recently realised I take the same medicine but under the name of Escitalopram

 

[Berordn]

Tylenol and Advil are just brand names. You can still buy generic Ibuprofen and acetaminophen/paracetamol here.

 

[gutter_trash]

I had no idea paracetamol is commonly referred to as Tylenol and ibuprofen commonly referred to as Advil in the USA.

I think I've heard people say Tylenol and Advil a million times in media and on streams and never thought to ask what it was until I searched today.

Anyone else not realise this?

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those are their commercial brand names.

it's like calling facial tissue as Kleenex or calling cola as Coke

 

[Android Sophia]

Yeah, they're commonly known by their brand names. Thought "ibuprofen" is common enough that people in the US usually know it's Advil.

 

[EvilChameleon]

I call ibuprofen Motrin. Even generic ibuprofen that I get from the doctor.

 

[Ultimate Bear Cub]

I wish I could just have one name for the substance instead of this double monstrosity everytime. It's one my sparingly few pet peeves.

 

[Small Red Boy]

Same with epinephrine and adrenaline. I can understand why they use the imperial system, but this name variations confuse me.

 

[Deleted member 48813]

They're both called the same here in Brazil (and probably most places tbh), although we have generic versions too, so I've heard both names for those (I never noticed they're the same thing until now though, oops).

Edit: Also, I wonder who comes up with these medicine brand names, they always sound so weird to me =P

 

[SatoAilDarko]

They're just brand names. 90% of the time I just buy CVS acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

 

[Shy]

I'm a UK'un too. And i did not know that.

What do they call co codamol over there. Cause i've mentioned it to my friend. And he didn't have a fucking clue what i was on about. LOL.

 

[Hecht]

As said, Tylenol is the brand name. That said, even though paracetamol is the name for the medicine, it's also known as acetaminophen, which is much more commonly used in the US.

Also I swear people say "Motrin" much more than "Advil" in the US, but maybe that's just the military in me talking. Good ol' Vitamin M.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Ibuprofen is called ibuprofen in the states. Advil and Motrin are just name brands for (usually) ibuprofen tablets.

Paracetamol is actually called Acetometophen in the US. Tylenol is just a name brand for it.

If we're doing the full pain reliever circuit, Naproxen Sodium is the drug name for the brand Aleve.

Every store has their own generic version that uses the drug name.

 

[turmoil7]

Yeah, it seems that brand names are way more prevalent in the US than most countries

 

[Ruck]

You can use the name of the drug and people will know what you mean but yeah most people just say Tylenol or whatever the brand is even if they buy the generic instead

 

[ILikeFeet]

I'm a UK'un too. And i did not know that.

What do they call co codamol over there. Cause i've mentioned it to my friend. And he didn't have a fucking clue what i was on about. LOL.

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there's no specific name for that. usually just called acetaminophen with codine

 

[Rassilon]

Yeah, it seems that brand names are way more prevalent in the US than most countries

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idk in the UK is very common to call vacuum cleaners 'hoovers' and sticky tape 'sellotape'

 

[DJ_Lae]

Ibuprofen is the generic/chemical'ish name here too. Advil is just the best known brand, similar with Tylenol and acetominophen.

I think the chemical name is para-acetylaminophenol, so it was just truncated a little differently in each continent. Tylenol is extracted from that name too.

 

[Tragicomedy]

Acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Miitary types will call the latter motrin, as you've seen a couple of times already in this thread. I do hear Tylenol a lot more often than Advil, in terms of common use. Both are easier to say than the actual drug name so it makes sense.

Never heard the word "paracetamol" used in my life, so don't think that's remotely mainstream in the US.

 

[thewienke]

I think I refer to ibuprofen as ibuprofen but acetaminophen as "Tylenol".

Acetaminophen just doesn't roll off the tongue very well. Ibuprofen is easier to say.

 

[PoppaBK]

Yeah, it seems that brand names are way more prevalent in the US than most countries

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Yeah places like the UK have the odd one like 'Hoover' but the US has way more -brand name as name of thing - like band aid, kleenex and the ultimate in some parts of the country 'Coke' for any soda.

 

[xxracerxx]

Ahh yes, brands.

 

[Balphon]

They're both called the same here in Brazil (and probably most places tbh), although we have generic versions too, so I've heard both names for those (I never noticed they're the same thing until now though, oops).

Edit: Also, I wonder who comes up with these medicine brand names, they always sound so weird to me =P

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They are typically just contractions of the full name of the compound, e.g.:

Like the words paracetamol and acetaminophen, the brand name Tylenol is derived from a chemical name for the compound, N-aceTYL-para-aminophENOL (APAP).

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Tylenol (brand) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Jon_Sama]

Only know because of this

 

[Shy]

Yeah, it seems that brand names are way more prevalent in the US than most countries

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Those are the names of freedom.

there's no specific name for that. usually just called acetaminophen with codine

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Ahh. Okie dokies.

 

[TheWooniestWoona]

I never hear anyone call ibuprofen anything but ibuprofen.

I hear people use Tylenol sometimes, but most of the time I hear acetaminophen. Never heard of paracetamol.

 

[jph139]

I'm in the US and didn't learn this until I was an adult, either - my mom always bought the generic, so I assumed Advil was something different from the ibuprofen we had in the cabinet.

 

[DPT120]

I knew Ibuprofen and Advil.

 

[808s & Villainy]

I had no idea America was the only place that had brands 🙄
We definitely still call it ibuprofen. It's just that Advil is interchangeable

 

[Shy]

As a couple of other people have mentioned.

I thought Advil and Tynol were completely separate things.

 

[pokeystaples]

I always call Ibuprofen ibuprofen and call Tylenol Acetaminophen unless it's actual Tylenol because I buy the knockoffs. (American)

 

[Kenstar]

you ask the average person what the fuck a paracetamol is in the US they just look at you funny
its labeled as acetaminophen here

As a couple of other people have mentioned.

I thought Advil and Tynol were completely separate things.

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That's marketing for ya

 

[Ploppee]

It's the same as how everyone calls the vaccuum cleaner the hoover in the UK.

 

[Wilf Netherton]

The doctor told me to avoid ibuprofen and take acetaminophen if I needed mild pain relief. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Shy]

That's marketing for ya

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LOL. So true.

 

[Dyle]

Ibuprofen is definitely used more frequently than advil/motrin in my experience, but tylenol is obviously going to be chosen every time over acetaminophen simply because one is easy to say and spell and the other isn't. If the generic drug had been given an easy name this wouldn't have happened.

 

[Shy]

The doctor told me to avoid ibuprofen and take acetaminophen if I needed mild pain relief. 🤷‍♂️

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😮 There's no way that's true... Surely.

Nope nope nope. I refuse to believe that. LOL.

 

[____]

I visited Europe for a couple months last year and was surprised to hear paracetamol so much. And also crazy they didn't have any "cold" medicine. Everyone looked at me like I was nuts for asking and said I need to go to a doctor if I'm sick.

 

[DJ_Lae]

The doctor told me to avoid ibuprofen and take acetaminophen if I needed mild pain relief. 🤷‍♂️

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Depends on the nature of the pain, I suppose. Acetaminophen is more of an all-purpose pain reliever and not as rough on your stomach as an NSAID (anti-inflammatory) like ibuprofen or naproxen. If the pain is related to swelling like a sinus headache or menstrual cramps or something ibuprofen would likely work better. You just want to eat a little bit of something with it as in high amounts they can contribute to ulcers.

 

[xxracerxx]

As a couple of other people have mentioned.

I thought Advil and Tynol were completely separate things.

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If you are buying branded over-the-counter drugs, you are being ripped the fuck off. Look at the generic store brand labels and compare them to the branded versions, they are identical. This is true for Tylenol, Advil, NyQuil, etc.

 

[Orayn]

I never hear "paracetamol" at all in the US, only acetaminophen.

 

[Joe]

In the use, I hear people say Ibuprofen and Advil all the time. I don't think I ever hear someone say paracetamol in the conversation, though. That's always Tylenol or acetaminophen.

 

[Shy]

Depends on the nature of the pain, I suppose. Acetaminophen is more of an all-purpose pain reliever and not as rough on your stomach as an NSAID (anti-inflammatory) like ibuprofen or naproxen. If the pain is related to swelling like a sinus headache or menstrual cramps or something ibuprofen would likely work better. You just want to eat a little bit of something with it as in high amounts they can contribute to ulcers.

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Yeah. ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory pain killer. While paracetamol is a general pain relief one.

If you are buying branded over-the-counter drugs, you are being ripped the fuck off. Look at the generic store brand labels and compare them to the branded versions, they are identical. This is true for Tylenol, Advil, NyQuil, etc.

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Nah, i never have. I'm from the uk.

I was surprised. Because when i always heard the names from over there, i thought they were completely separate drugs.

 

[xxracerxx]

I never hear "paracetamol" at all in the US, only acetaminophen.

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Because that is the British name for it.