What is in tylenol that?

Question

makes me fall asleep? I haven't been able to fall asleep lately, and tylenol was the only thing that made me fall asleep. I used to think it's a placebo effect, but I couldn't fall asleep napping either, and I took a tylenol and it knocked me out instantly. Does acetaminophen act as a sleeping pill or something like that?

Answer 1

Tylenol does make some people (like you and me) sleepy.  It's perfectly normal.  Be careful with regular use though.  There are side effects of acetaminophen (the ingredient in Tylenol) that can be quite serious such as liver problems.

Answer 2

I'm assuming you are talking about plain old original Tylenol. Read the ingredients - acetamenaphin is the active ingredient - there are several sleep remedies made under that name. Tylenol relieves pain and (to some extent) inflammation. So do aspirin and several other NSAIDs. If you had some sore muscles, tension headache, etc. the acetamenophin could relieve it and help you relax for sleep.

It is not habit forming, per se, but overuse can lead to kidney and liver damage.