Tylenol is a North American brand of drugs for relieving pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, and flu. The active ingredient of its original, flagship product, acetaminophen (called "paracetamol" outside North America), is marketed for headaches, fever, muscle and body pain, arthritis, and joint pain. Like the words "acetaminophen" and "paracetamol", the brand name is derived from the chemical name for the compound, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (APAP).

It is available over the counter without prescription, has few side effects, and reacts with very few medications.[citation needed] However, it can cause liver, kidney, other organ damage, and have fatal interactions with alcohol and other substances, even in the recommended dosages. The brand is owned by McNeil Consumer Healthcare. The active substance of Tylenol, acetaminophen, was first used in medicine in 1894.

Acetaminophen only gained widespread use after 1948, when scientists concluded that another popular drug, acetanilide, was toxic and that the same therapeutic effect could be safely achieved with acetaminophen, which was already known to be a metabolite of acetanilide. James Roth, a U.S. gastroenterologist, advocated paracetamol as a safer alternative to aspirin, which was shown to have some negative effects. Roth was also principal consultant to McNeil Laboratories.

In 1953 McNeil Laboratories introduced Algoson, a preparation containing paracetamol together with sodium butabarbital, a sedative. In 1955 McNeil Laboratories introduced Tylenol Elixir for children, which contained paracetamol as its sole active ingredient. It was originally marketed mainly towards children, but soon came to dominate the North American pain-killer market.

There are a number of different varieties of Tylenol available today including extra-strength (with 500 milligrams of acetaminophen), children's doses, longer-lasting, and sleep aiding (in combination with diphenhydramine). In 2005 Tylenol Ultra was introduced in Canada, with 500 mg of acetaminophen and 65 mg of caffeine; caffeine has vasoconstricting effects, for which there is some disputed evidence for additional effectiveness. The patent on paracetamol has long expired, and the continued successes of Tylenol brand preparations are largely due to marketing, the backing of Johnson & Johnson, and new patented delivery mechanisms such as quick-release and extended-release forms of the medication.

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