The best way to alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen (Advil) is to take them 2 to 4 hours apart. For example, if you get up at 6.00am, you can take a dose of ibuprofen, then at 8.00am, you can take a dose of Tylenol. You can continue this regimen throughout the day, making sure you don’t exceed the recommended maximum dose for each drug. An alternating dosing schedule of 3 hours for an adult may look like this:
This dosing schedule does not exceed the recommended maximum dose of 3000 mg/day for acetaminophen and 1200mg/day for over-the-counter ibuprofen.
An alternating dosing schedule of 4 hours for an adult may look like this:
The dosing schedule of every 4 hours allows for a middle-of-the-night dose for those who need round-the-clock pain relief.
This dosing schedule does not exceed the recommended maximum dose of 3000 mg/day for acetaminophen and 1200mg/day for over-the-counter ibuprofen.