This information will provide useful guidance when using ibuprofen to treat pain and fever in children and adults.
Ibuprofen is commonly used to treat mild to moderate aches and pains such as headache, toothache, period pain, and sports injuries like sprains and strains. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, ibuprofen is also used to control pain and inflammation in the joints, bones, and muscles, for example, in conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Ibuprofen may also be used to reduce fever during a flu-like illness or common cold. Why is it important to know the appropriate ibuprofen dosing? You should know how much ibuprofen is safe because taking too much ibuprofen can be very harmful.
Although higher strengths of ibuprofen require a prescription, over-the-counter ibuprofen can be purchased and self-administered by patients at a higher than recommended maximum daily dose. Ibuprofen should be used with extreme caution in children and pregnant women as their metabolism rate of ibuprofen may be different than a healthy adult.
Therefore, consulting a gynecologist and pediatrician is highly recommended for this patient population. Last but not least, since ibuprofen is a household name, it is very crucial to know when to avoid ibuprofen usage with certain medications. Ibuprofen should also be avoided in patients who have a heart condition such as atrial fibrillation who are on blood-thinning agents such as warfarin , rivaroxaban , or apixaban, as ibuprofen or NSAIDs in general increase the risk of bleeding.
Please consult your pharmacist or doctor before taking ibuprofen if you are already taking other medications to avoid drug interaction. As noted above, over-the-counter and prescription ibuprofen is available in various dosage forms like tablets and suspensions.
The most commonly available formulations and dosage strengths of ibuprofen include tablets mg, mg, mg, mg, and mg , capsules mg , chewable tablets mg , oral suspension, or liquid mg per 5 mL , and concentrated oral suspension for infants 50 mg per 1. Notably, the mg, mg, and mg tablets of ibuprofen are available by prescription only. The recommended dose of ibuprofen is mg by mouth every hours as needed for pain or fever. The recommended maximum daily dose is mg for over-the-counter ibuprofen and mg for prescription-strength ibuprofen.
Infants who overdose may show signs of lethargy unresponsiveness or apnea temporary cessation of breathing following a more serious overdose of ibuprofen. If you or someone you know has taken more than the maximum recommended dose of ibuprofen, contact your local poison center.
You can call this number 24 hours a day. Stay on the line for further instructions. At the hospital, doctors will monitor breathing, heart rate, and other vital signs. A doctor may insert a tube through the mouth to look for internal bleeding. Taking high doses of ibuprofen over long periods of time can also increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Always read product labels carefully and take the smallest amount of ibuprofen possible that will help relieve your symptoms.
A safe dose for children is much less than that. If you or someone you know has taken more than this, call your local poison center or your local emergency services. If you experience symptoms of an ulcer after taking ibuprofen, stop taking ibuprofen and call your doctor. Taking more than the recommended dosage of ibuprofen or drinking a lot of alcohol significantly raises your risk of serious problems.
Find out how. Taking too much acetaminophen can cause liver damage. Learn about overdose causes, treatment, prevention, and more. There may be other treatments that are safer for you.
Ibuprofen is safe to take by mouth or use on your skin if you are breastfeeding. Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you're trying to get pregnant, are already pregnant or if you're breastfeeding. Ibuprofen applied to the skin is less likely to interfere with other medicines than if it's taken by mouth.
For safety, tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking ibuprofen by mouth or using it on your skin:. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. It works by reducing hormones that cause pain and swelling in the body. When you apply ibuprofen to your skin, it works in the same way as when you take it by mouth, but it only works in the area you've applied it to.
You should start to feel better 20 to 30 minutes after taking ibuprofen by mouth. For some types of long-term pain, you'll need to take ibuprofen regularly for up to 3 weeks for it to work properly.
If you're applying ibuprofen to your skin, it should start to work within 1 to 2 days. Ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin are all effective painkillers. Ibuprofen is good for period pain and migraines. It can also be used for back pain , strains and sprains, as well as pain from arthritis. Paracetamol is typically used for mild or moderate pain. It may be better than ibuprofen for headaches , toothache , sprains , stomach ache , and nerve pain like sciatica. Aspirin works in a similar way to ibuprofen.
Like ibuprofen, it's good for period pain and migraines. If you have heavy periods, it can make them heavier. It won't do you any harm to use ibuprofen gel at the same time as taking ibuprofen tablets. But if you're already taking ibuprofen tablets regularly, you won't get any extra benefit from also using the gel. The gel tends to be best for when you have a pain under the skin and in a very small area of your body.
If you're taking ibuprofen for a short-lived pain like toothache or period pain , you may only need to take it for a day or two. You may need to take ibuprofen for longer if you have a long-term health problem, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
If you need to take ibuprofen for more than 6 months, your doctor may prescribe a medicine to protect your stomach from any side effects. Taking ibuprofen occasionally for pain relief — for example when you have a headache — is unlikely to affect your fertility.
However, it's best not to take ibuprofen tablets, capsules or syrup if you're trying for a baby. In this case paracetamol is a better option. This is because taking ibuprofen tablets, capsules or syrup in large doses, or for a long time, can affect ovulation. This can make it more difficult for you to get pregnant — but is usually reversible when you stop taking ibuprofen. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking ibuprofen will reduce fertility in men. Ibuprofen — by mouth or on your skin — doesn't affect any contraceptives, including the contraceptive pill and emergency contraception.
If you still need ibuprofen after taking it for 10 days check with your doctor before continuing. It's safe to take ibuprofen regularly for many years if your doctor prescribes it, and as long as you do not take more than the recommended dosage. If you need to take ibuprofen by mouth for a long time and you're at risk of getting a stomach ulcer , your doctor may prescribe a medicine to help protect your stomach.
Ibuprofen can cause ulcers in your stomach or gut, especially if you take it by mouth for a long time or in big doses. If you need to take ibuprofen and you're at risk of getting a stomach ulcer , your doctor may prescribe a medicine to help protect your stomach.
If ibuprofen doesn't work, there are other everyday painkillers you can try, such as:. If pharmacy painkillers don't work, your doctor may be able to prescribe a stronger painkiller or recommend another treatment, such as exercise or physiotherapy. Ibuprofen doesn't work for certain types of pain — for example, nerve pain like sciatica.
Your doctor will have to prescribe a different medicine if your pain is related to your nerves. It's usually safe to drink alcohol while taking ibuprofen. But if you're taking ibuprofen by mouth, drinking too much alcohol may irritate your stomach. Try to keep to the recommended guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. A standard glass of wine ml is 2 units. Ibuprofen works by blocking the production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins play an essential role in inflammation when an injury occurs.
They cause skin flushing, heat, swelling, and pain. Pain medicines are the drug class most often responsible for overdoses in adults. That said, some people have had severe complications. Symptoms of ibuprofen overdose can occur within 4 hours of taking too much of the drug. One of the most common side effects of ibuprofen when a person takes it at recommended dosages is heartburn. When ibuprofen blocks the COX-1 receptors in the stomach, it can disrupt its protective layer.
People who take too much ibuprofen may experience side effects that range from stomach pain to severe bleeding in the digestive tract. The latter can occur within a few hours of an overdose. Kidney failure can occur in both children and adults who overdose with ibuprofen. However, it is not common. A review of ibuprofen toxicity , which the authors updated in , includes a study that scientists conducted at the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center in Denver, CO.
It showed that only 2 out of 63 people who overdosed with ibuprofen experienced symptoms of kidney failure. In most cases, healthcare professionals can reverse kidney failure from ingestion of a large dosage of ibuprofen. This can cause loss of consciousness and coma. Children may experience seizures and decreased consciousness from a massive overdose. Some children may even stop breathing.
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