A friend of mine is experiencing lethargy and general malaise following sudden cessation of 2400 mgs daily of motrin, supplemented with 1000 mgs of tylenol for back pain as prescribed by his doctor for over a year now. Within a few days of altering his normal intake, he began having what appeared to be flu like symptoms with a general lack of energy. Is this attributable to the cessation of those two medications or is it unrelated?

Shouldn't be...these meds have no codeine or hydrocodone, so there should be nothing to "with draw" from...I have NEVER heard of anyone going through Tylenol withdrawal. Now, his joint pain will come back and he may feel bad since he is used to the heavy mg's he's using...

I would guess that his liver could be affected by so much Motrin...and this could be a cause for concern.

But I think this is unrelated. HOWEVER, since I am not a Doctor and do not play one on TV, at the least, a call to his Dr is order...they may want to see him to evaluate what's going on...