The therapeutic index for ibuprofen is considerably better: it's around 10, fairly similar to alcohol. Accidental overdoses of ibuprofen are rare.
The main issue with ibuprofen is that it can have fairly annoying (but non-life-threatening) side effects like stomach upset and GI bleeds even with normal dosing.
> The main issue with ibuprofen is that it can have fairly annoying (but non-life-threatening) side effects like stomach upset and GI bleeds even with normal dosing.
Those side effects are more problematic when used chronically. This is when acetaminophen shines, because it has virtually no side effects at all when used as directed.
It can also cause kidney damage which can be life threatening, especially when you’re dehydrated (which is pretty common after drinking); tylenol is a lot safer than ibuprofin when used as directed, it only becomes dangerous when glutathione is depleted (at which point it becomes a lot more dangerous, which is why you should never drink while taking Tylenol)
Not a doctor, this is how it was explained to me by my doctor.
Paracetamol/acetaminophen has a therapeutic dose that is uncomfortably close to the fatal dose, but is otherwise as safe as any drug can possibly be. So long as you don’t take too much.
Ibuprofen is also relatively safe, but it has a number of ways that it can do damage even at the therapeutic dose, if you are taking it all the time.
The main one is that it depletes your mucus lining in your stomach, which can lead to bleeding and death (used to be a big problem here in Aus when codeine combined pills were available without prescription). It’s also harder on your kidneys and liver.
Completely fine at therapeutic doses taken as per instructions and not mixed with alcohol. But having it every day is going to be much worse for you than the paracetamol and almost certainly lead to health problems.
The main issue with ibuprofen is that it can have fairly annoying (but non-life-threatening) side effects like stomach upset and GI bleeds even with normal dosing.