Can Tylenol cause bleeding in someone with diverticular bleeding problems?

Answer 1

Tylenol is NOT an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory). NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin® IB), and naproxen sodium (Aleve®), as well as traditional prescription NSAIDs (such as indomethalin, ibuprofen, etc.) and COX-2 inhibitors, like Celebrex®. This information can be found on the manufacturers' pages. Tylenol is known as acetaminophen - Tylenol is an antipyretic (anti-fever) and analgesic (for pain). In patients with diverticular disease or other bleeding/coagulopathic problems, paracetamol or Tylenol are the preferred medications for pain control. These medications pose a smaller bleeding risk than NSAIDs. NSAIDs like those listed above should be strictly avoided. According to a study by Aldoori et al. (1998), with a large sample size, acetaminophen can increase relative bleeding risk in patients with diverticular disease (compared to non-users), however, study results fall into very wide confidence intervals and overlap, which does not support elimination of acetaminophen as a pain control method for persons suffering from diverticulitis. The final verdict? If you are experiencing diverticular pain, you can take Tylenol. However, more importantly, you should see your doctor for evaluation because pain can be an indicator of more severe underlying problems.