Overview Of Ibuprofen (Advil)

Commonly Prescribed Alternatives

For patients who cannot take ibuprofen, another anti-inflammatory medicine may be considered. Some of the most commonly prescribed alternatives to ibuprofen include naproxen and diclofenac. Patients who are allergic to ibuprofen may need to take acetaminophen for pain relief instead, and COX-2 inhibitors like celecoxib can be prescribed to target inflammation. Topical pain relievers that contain diclofenac may be suitable for treating strains, sprains, and muscle pain, and diclofenac can be prescribed as an oral medication as well. Patients should always check with their doctor about all of the possible medications that may be useful for their symptoms, and they should ask before using two different pain relievers together to reduce the risk of drug interactions.

Discover the common dosage recommendations for Advil next.

Common Dosage Recommendations

Dosage recommendations vary depending on the condition being treated. For managing menstrual pain, doctors recommend that adults take a maximum of 1200 milligrams of over-the-counter ibuprofen (or 3200 milligrams of prescription-strength ibuprofen). The patient should take a single dose every four to six hours, and each dose should be two to four hundred milligrams. Dosage recommendations are the same for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Pediatric patients between two and eleven years old who are using the oral suspension (one hundred milligrams per five milliliters) for pain relief should take five to ten milligrams of ibuprofen per kilogram of body weight. These individuals can take a maximum dose of forty milligrams per kilogram of body weight each day, and they should take no more than four doses each day.

Patients who are older than twelve years old may safely take up to 1200 milligrams per day, and the initial dose should be two hundred milligrams. Patients can take another dose every four to six hours, and the dose can be increased to four hundred milligrams for individuals who need additional pain relief. Patients with advanced kidney disease may need to have their ibuprofen dose adjusted based on the results of kidney function tests, and doctors might suggest that a different medication is used. Individuals with liver issues will need to be closely monitored as well, and ibuprofen should be discontinued for these patients if a rash develops. Pediatric patients with liver issues should not take more than thirty milligrams of ibuprofen per kilogram of body weight during a twenty-four-hour period.

Learn about the connection between ibuprofen and allergies next.