A headache strikes, muscle pain develops and you are running a fever. You make your way to the nearest drug store and manage to find the pain relief section. 
To your horror, you discover that choosing the right pain reliever is much like the multiple-choice exam you wrote last week.  You are stumped.  Advil? Tylenol? Acetaminophen? Ibuprofen?
Advil and Tylenol are big players in the game of pain management.  It seems that everyone has their preference as to which one works best for them.  But where do the differences lie?
To begin with, there actually are differences.  In this multiple-choice, we can narrow it down to two options because Tylenol is the brand name for the drug Acetaminophen and Advil is the brand name for Ibuprofen. 
Basically, when choosing Tylenol over drug store Acetaminophen, it is the difference between choosing Starbucks coffee over No Name coffee. There may be some slight differences, but they both contain the same active ingredients.  In the end, you pay for the name of the company.
Advil, Midol, Motrin and Ibuprofen are classified as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). 
They work in the body to reduce pain, swelling and fever and can be used to treat minor injuries. It is believed that it functions in reducing the production of a hormone-like complex that produces inflammation.
Many people use Ibuprofen for menstrual cramps, headaches, arthritis, muscle pain and fever. Regular strength Ibuprofen comes in 200 mg tablets or capsules, while extra-strength is a 400 mg dose.
Of course, it is strongly recommended that the dosage on the bottle or the instructions of a physician be followed closely. Using Ibuprofen too frequently or in high doses can cause serious side effects like gastrointestinal bleeding. Taking Ibuprofen with food can greatly reduce any minor side effects such as an upset stomach. 
People who cannot tolerate NSAIDs often use Tylenol or Acetaminophen. Again, it is not completely understood how Acetaminophen functions once in the body, but it is believed that Acetaminophen increases one’s pain threshold by blocking some pain receptors in the nervous system. 
This being said, it does not greatly reduce stiffness, redness or inflammation. In other words, it deceives the body into thinking the pain is gone.
Similarly to Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen can cause upset stomach. This can be countered by taking it with food.
A much more serious and fairly common side effect of taking too much Acetaminophen is liver failure.  In a U.S. study, it was found that nearly half of all liver failures studied were due to accidental Acetaminophen over-dose.
When ingested, a small portion of Acetaminophen is metabolized in the liver, producing a toxic compound that gradually harms the liver.  When taken frequently or in large quantities, it can be extremely dangerous.
This effect is only amplified when consumed with alcohol or the morning after a few drinks. The enzyme used to metabolize Acetaminophen can also be used for alcohol. Alcohol competes with Acetaminophen for this enzyme in the liver, causing more of the toxin to remain present.
Ultimately, taking Ibuprofen with a little snack the morning after is generally a safe choice to make. Acetaminophen won’t reduce stiffness or inflammation and gradually does damage to the liver.