Excedrin Ingredients
Excedrin contains three active ingredients: acetaminophen 250 mg, aspirin 250 mg, and caffeine 65 mg per tablet. 1
Active Components and Their Roles
Acetaminophen (250 mg) provides analgesic and antipyretic effects, working centrally to reduce pain perception 1, 2
Aspirin (250 mg) functions as both an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent through prostaglandin inhibition 1, 2
Caffeine (65 mg) serves as an adjunctive therapy that provides synergistic analgesia when combined with other medications, enhancing the absorption and efficacy of the analgesics 1, 3
Clinical Evidence for This Combination
This specific combination (acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine) has demonstrated superior efficacy compared to single analgesics alone for both migraine and tension-type headache treatment 1, 2, 4
In clinical trials of 1,250 migraine patients, this combination reduced pain to mild or none in 59.3% of patients at 2 hours compared to 32.8% with placebo, and achieved pain-free status in 50.8% by 6 hours versus 23.5% with placebo 2
The combination was significantly more effective than acetaminophen monotherapy, with 28.5% of headache episodes pain-free at 2 hours versus 21.0% with acetaminophen alone 4
This combination has also demonstrated superiority over ibuprofen 400 mg, with faster onset of meaningful pain relief (20 minutes earlier median time) and higher overall efficacy scores 5
Important Clinical Considerations
Frequency limitation is critical: Use should be restricted to no more than 2 days per week to prevent medication-overuse headache, which can paradoxically increase headache frequency and lead to daily headaches 1, 3
The combination is well-tolerated with an excellent safety profile when used appropriately 2
This formulation also improves associated migraine symptoms including nausea, photophobia, phonophobia, and functional disability 2