I don't have big issues with pain, but I am on a regular, self-devised schedule of 2 ibuprofen and 2 extra-strength acetaminophen 3 times daily.

If I skip a dose, I notice it within a few hours!

COMBINING the over-the-counter painkillers really seems to work for me, keeping the achiness and the joint/tendon pain under control through the day and night.

You can combine painkillers as long as they're different TYPES of medications, and as long as you don't take more acetaminophen than it says on the bottle. The ibuprofen is more flexible--I'll take extra of that sometimes.

Nancy T.