Tylenol 3 vs Percocet
Tylenol 3 is a drug which contains codeine, caffeine and acetaminophen. The amount of acetaminophen is 300mg, codeine is 30mg and caffeine is 15mg. This combination is used for mild to moderate pain which is associated with conditions like allergies, fever, menstrual pain, headaches and colds. It comes as a tablet to be taken by the mouth. It is a hard, round and white tablet which is flat faced and had bevelled edges. It has the word “McNEIL” written on one side and on the other side, the number ‘3’ is written. Its recommended dose is 1-2 tablets every four hours. This can be adjusted according to the amount of pain which is being experienced. Things which can affect the dosage required by a person include body weight and other existing medical conditions.
Percocet is a drug which contains Paracetamol and Oxycodone. It is a narcotic pain reliever and unlike Tylenol 3, it is used to treat moderate to severe acute pain. The tablets are available in 6 combinations of acetaminophen and oxycodone hydrochloride. The appearance of each tablet depends on the combination. Some are yellow whilst others are pink. The recommended dose is 1-2 tablets every six hours. Things which can affect the dosage required by a person include body weight and other existing medical conditions.
Both of these two drugs are addictive and can be abused.
The main difference between Tylenol 3 and Percocet is that Tylenol 3 contains Codeine whilst Percocet contains Oxycodone. This difference in constitution means that the results they produce are different.
Summary
1. Percocet is much stronger than Tylenol 3 and is available in pills of differing strengths. All the Tylenol 3 pills have the same ingredients.
2. Percocet’s recommended dose in 1-2 pills every 6 hours whilst that of Tylenol 3 is 1-2 pills every 4 hours.
3. Percocet is used to treat moderate to severe acute pain whilst Tylenol 3 is used to treat mild to moderate pain.
4. Tylenol 3 is an over the counter drug which means that it is readily available. Percocet cannot be bought without a prescription as it is a prescription-only drug. This means that it is not readily available.
5. Because Percocet is much stronger than Tylenol 3, it produces the worst effects if abused.
Percocet contains a narcotic which is synthetic and which belongs to the codeine and methadone family, whilst Tylenol 3 does not.
6. Percocet has 25 mgs more of Acetaminophen than Tylenol.
To sum up, most of the differences are as a result of the difference in composition between the drugs.