Acetaminophen,
Paracetamol,
Medication Facts
- Performance enhancing
- No
- Total hours to clear
- 48
- Frequently used
- Most Prescribed
- ESC ID
- ACETAM-0018
- Trade names
- Tylenol
- Drug type
- Analgesic, Antipyretic
- Plasma half-life · hours
- 4
- Equine dosing
- 20–30 mg/kg (20-27 white tabets 500 mg extra strength), Acetaminophen maybe combined with NSAIDS as there are no contraindications. Acetaminophen does not provide skeletal or tissue anit-inflamatory releief, instead it targets pain relief of the central nervous system and reduces fever.
- Cmax · peak plasma concentration
- 10-20 µg/mL
- Tmax · time to peak plasma concentration
- 1.5
- ESC concentration guidance
- 10-20 µg/mL
- Primary withdrawal · hours
- 0
- Washout withdrawal · hours
- 0
- ESC control type
- A1 - Generally Controlled - Therapeutic
- Medication report required
- Generally not required, however understand exceptions.
Uses & side effects
Pain Relief CNS, Fever Relief
Drug interactions
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is unique in equine medicine because it lacks the severe gastrointestinal and kidney side effects of traditional equine NSAIDs. Because of this, it is frequently combined with other medications to create a synergistic, multimodal pain relief plan, particularly for severe foot pain like laminitis.However, because acetaminophen is processed heavily by the liver, certain drug combinations require careful veterinary monitoring.🔄 Synergistic (Positive) InteractionsUnlike in human medicine, where stacking certain pain relievers is discouraged, equine veterinarians frequently co-administer acetaminophen with other drugs to enhance pain relief without overloading the horse's stomach:Traditional NSAIDs (Bute, Banamine, Equioxx): Stacking acetaminophen with a traditional NSAID like phenylbutazone (Bute) or firocoxib (Equioxx) is highly effective. Because acetaminophen works primarily through the central nervous system rather than the peripheral tissues, it potentiates (boosts) the anti-inflammatory action of the NSAID without increasing the risk of gastric ulcers.Opioids and Neuropathic Pain Medications (Codeine, Tramadol, Gabapentin): Research demonstrates that combining acetaminophen with codeine creates a highly effective thermal pain barrier in horses. It is also regularly used alongside gabapentin or tramadol for comprehensive chronic lameness management plans.
Contraindications
None currently identified.