Caffeine is naturally found in coffee, tea and chocolate and is frequently added to soft drinks, cold remedies and over-the-counter headache medications and pain relievers. A common ingredient in many prescription drugs, caffeine helps the body absorb certain drugs more quickly, bringing faster pain relief. There are benefits and risks associated with combining caffeine and analgesic pain relievers.
Prescription and Non-Prescription Pain Relievers
Non-prescription painkillers often contain additives such as antihistamines to help you sleep, buffers to ease stomach upset and caffeine to reduce pain. Over-the-counter analgesics can provide effective pain relief when you take them on a regular basis. Prescription pain relievers are often no more effective than non-prescription medications, which have fewer side effects, according to HospiceNet.org. For severe pain your doctor may recommend taking non-prescription analgesics in addition to prescription pain relievers. Taking non-prescription medications can help reduce the amount of the prescribed painkiller you need.
Combination Medications
Many non-prescription pain medications contain acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. Acetaminophen helps reduce pain. Aspirin reduces pain and inflammation. Caffeine increases the effect of pain medications. Avoid drinking coffee, tea, cola and other caffeinated beverages when taking medicines that contain caffeine. Consuming additional caffeine can increase the side effects of the caffeine in the medication. Take combination pain medications only as directed by your physician.
Increased Risk of Liver Damage
Drinking large amounts of caffeine while taking acetaminophen or using medications that combine acetaminophen and caffeine to treat pain could cause liver damage, according to the American Chemical Society. Animal studies have shown that high doses of caffeine can increase the risk of acute liver failure in rats with liver damage brought on by overdoses of acetaminophen. While you don't have to stop taking acetaminophen or consuming caffeine, you should pay attention to how much of each you use, especially when taking them together.
Negative Effects
Some people are more sensitive than others to the effects of caffeine. If used in excess, caffeine can cause anxiety, sleep problems and pain. Taking pain relievers that contain caffeine on a daily basis over an extended period of time can lead to withdrawal symptoms when you stop. Overusing medications that have caffeine as an ingredient often causes rebound headaches. You can also suffer rebound headaches if you consume too much caffeine from other sources while taking prescription or non-prescription pain relievers that contain caffeine. Rebound headaches are particularly common in people who suffer from migraine or cluster headaches.
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